the FAITH of a child

Zoe’s child-like faith continues to amaze, inspire, and teach me.  As I have seen her accept her current situation, I am humbly reminded how precious the faith of a child is… I asked Zoe why she seems to be ok with things and why she trusts that her dad and I are making the right decisions.  She said, “because you are my parents and because you pray.”  (sheesh - a response like that is kind of heavy and makes you want to make sure you don't screw up!!)

When we told Zoe that she needed to do chemo again, she was scared and obviously didn’t want to go that route again.  From her perspective, her parents were asking her to walk toward a “hell” that she had already visited… a “hell” that she had recently seen several family friends visit…  But she became accepting of this… Why?? Because her parents told her it was best for her - that going through the trials associated with treatment would eventually help her tumor.    

When I became a parent, I began to understand more about the love and awareness our Heavenly Parents have for their children.

(yes, I believe not only in a Heavenly Father but a Heavenly Mother as well… A conversation for a different time if any of you want to have it… for now I will just refer to Heavenly Father or “God”) 

The relationship we have with our Heavenly Father is just as real as the relationship Sean and I have with Zoe…  God knows and loves His children individually and perfectly!  He is familiar with the smallest details of our lives.  Life is full of challenges for a reason - although often we don’t understand that reason.  There is purpose in trials.  (There are trials that come into our lives and there are trials that come about due to poor choices of others… )  Do we trust that a loving Heavenly Father would not place a trial in our life that would eventually be for our good or for the good of those around us?  Do we have faith like a little child?

One of my favorite scriptures regarding trials is found in the Book of Mormon, in Alma 7:12.  “And He will take upon Him death, that He may loose the bands of death which bind His people; and He will take upon Him their infirmities, that His bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that He may know according to the flesh how to succor His people according toe their infirmities.” 

This scripture explains that Christ not only suffered for our sins, but He took upon him the pain associated with our sickness, our heartache, etc.  Any difficult thing we experience, Christ experienced.  WHY??  So that He would know how to perfectly “succor” or support us during those times.  Why did a loving Heavenly Father allow His son, Jesus Christ, to suffer in such unimaginable ways?  Why was this trial not removed from Christ's life? Because Heavenly Father knew and Christ knew that this trial would eventually be for the good of all.