At a time in my life when I needed a nudge to step out of my box, God used my children to remind me what complete trust in Him looks like.
Many years ago, when I was a single mother and my children were very young, we filled our bedtime routine with stories, songs, prayers, and long talks about our dreams. Jordan was four years old and had eloquent and faith-filled prayers. I remember his repeated requests for a daddy, a dog, a house, and a Honda Odyssey. I would laugh to myself every time he prayed. One day, a commercial for an Odyssey was on television and he yelled, “Mommy! It’s our car!” He loved those minivans, so he added it to his prayer list. Every Odyssey we passed, he would shout, “Look Mommy, there’s our car!” We would laugh together, and I would tell him it was on the heavenly conveyer belt to our house, and it would reach us soon! I was driving an old Honda that had seen much better days. At one point, a door fell off in the street, but that’s another story. I took the car in for repairs one day, and while I was talking to the serviceman, he glanced over my shoulder with a confused expression. “Uh, ma’am, what is your son doing?”
I turned around and saw Jordan laying his hands on an Odyssey minivan, praying in a loud voice, “Jesus, thank you for my Honda Odyssey, my house, my daddy and my dog!” People were staring, and I smiled, telling the man that we were praying for a minivan to replace the old Honda with the faulty door and high mileage. “My son is leading the way with that prayer,” I added. Everyone could hear Jordan praying, and it touched the man’s heart. He wiped a tear and said, “I bet you get that minivan one day!”
Jordan was far out of the box of fear and praying with childlike faith. He knew God was going to give him that minivan. It was amazing to watch how this little boy was willing to give God the brushes and let Him paint a beautiful picture with our lives. No worries in sight. I long to be like a child and have that kind of faith. When we climb out of the box and trust God with our prayers and dreams, he usually does one better. He did for us! That answered prayer didn’t happen immediately. It took a season of growing, learning, and believing that God would provide. I learned childlike faith, and I often go back and remind myself of Jordan’s 
loud, fervent prayers. That journey was filled with miracles along the way.
The other day, Jordan, now 30, reminded me how God far exceeded that prayer request. He had something better for us–an Infiniti QX4! God doesn’t think small, and He delights in our childlike faith. Today we drive a sturdy Tahoe–no doors falling off and plenty of room for more of those answered prayers. God answered Jordan’s prayer for a dad. Skipper and my kids have a close relationship, and they often comment on how he has been a godly example as he helped them heal from the baggage that comes with divorce. I couldn’t have dreamed it, but God could. And yes, God answered our prayers for a house. And as for the dogs, we have three who are companions for us, and certified therapy dogs that help others walk through tough days.
We often talk about that day when Jordan prayed over that Honda Odyssey, knowing He would answer. Jordan let God paint the picture and God painted it with more beauty than we could have imagined.
I have learned so much from children. One young girl named Emily would raise her hands and dance with delight every Sunday. The light of Jesus was shining in her eyes as she wholeheartedly worshipped the Lord. The mature, sedate believers were worshipping, but not like Emily. They were careful to keep in control. Emily’s mother would try to pull her daughter back into her seat, but she wasn’t having it. She wanted to praise God, so her hands stayed in the air and she belted out the words to every song. Emily was autistic, a two-year-old trapped in the body of a 17-year-old. She would never learn that her kind of worship should please and impress people. Her worship wasn’t tainted with religious rules and styles that kept everyone comfortable. She didn’t pay attention to the people around her and worry what they were thinking. Out of her childlike trust in her Savior, this young girl gave Jesus everything she had, and love radiated from her. There was no box for Emily.
Emily helped me look at my own life. Was I living outside of the box, with a childlike relationship with the Lord, or had I become too grown up to receive what Jesus has waiting for me? Am I too dignified to respond spontaneously and wholeheartedly, like a child? I don’t want to be trapped in a box where I can’t hear His voice. I want to worship with wild abandon, and you can’t do that inside a box. Loud prayers, dancing in the aisles, singing with hands raised and a heart that trusts no matter what. This is where the miracles happen, and this is where I want to be. Outside of the box, and in the place of childlike faith.