Faith Isn’t Supposed to Be Easy
Faith is not meant to be easy. In fact, I think it’s designed to be difficult. To believe in what you cannot hold. To trust what can only be felt in the marrow of your soul.
As a child, though, faith didn’t feel difficult at all. Children live with a natural sensitivity to God. They notice His presence without overthinking it. They believe without demanding evidence. They feel Him in the ordinary—sunlight on their face, laughter with friends, the simple security of being cared for.
A Childhood Encounter
When I was seven, I had more than sensitivity—I had encounter.
On June 29, 2007, a car accident changed the trajectory of my life. I was the second-fastest kid in my class, riding home from a day at the beach with my sister and friends. Then—nothing. No memory of the accident itself. Only a weightless darkness, a soft yellow light above me, like the sun without the sting. It felt warm, comforting, inviting.
As I drew closer, a blinding flash overtook me. Suddenly, I was awake again—this time in the belly of a helicopter, being airlifted to the hospital.
That moment became the bedrock of my faith. Proof, at least to me, that God was real.
Proof Fades, Sensitivity Matters
And yet, proof fades.
As I grew older, the raw awareness I carried as a child gave way to questions. In college, I started asking:
“God, how did You do that?”
“God, why would You do this for us?”
Good questions. Human questions. But somewhere in the asking, the fire of wonder cooled. The same mind that once noticed God everywhere now filled the silence with explanations.
The sensitivity I had as a boy dulled under the weight of growing up.
That’s the irony of adulthood: the very knowledge we chase can numb us to God’s presence. We explain what we used to experience. We analyze what we once simply knew.
But sensitivity—childlike, uncluttered sensitivity—is not optional for faith. It’s essential.
Becoming Like Children
Jesus once said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
I used to think that verse was about innocence. I’m beginning to think it’s about awareness. Children are quick to notice. Adults are quick to dismiss.
The task is not to recreate childhood. It’s to carry its sensitivity forward. To guard it in the noise of adulthood. To choose, again and again, not to miss His voice.
The Present Tension
Fast forward to today: my life is rich. I’m with the love of my life. My parents are alive. My sister and I are closer than ever. I have friends, a home, health.
Yet my relationship with God has slipped into the background. Not because He left, but because I’ve stopped listening with the ears of a child.
Faith, like a journey, has its tranquil ups and desperate downs. Right now, I’m in the slow climb out of one of those downs. And what I keep learning is this: God still listens. God still responds. The warmth I felt as a child has not vanished. It’s waiting for me to notice again.
The Truth Revealed
Faith isn’t about never doubting. It’s about training your adult heart to recover what your child heart knew instinctively—that God is near, speaking, moving, and sustaining.
Because God’s listening. And He’s likely responding.
The only question is: am I sensitive enough to notice?
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Excellent Brady! I love watching our granddaughters Faith come alive! Through the eyes of a child! 💙