The reason behind everything

It was a typical Friday night and the kids where spiraled across the floor after finishing up our group bible study on the story of Peter walking on water. The instructions had been for them to choose a part of the story that they would take away from this evening. They were also told that if they wanted to have the opportunity to prayer about it with a leader they were welcome to that. The leader of the bible study had previously told me that she had asked God to be able to see just one kid who desired to be prayed for.

I proudly watched them as they focused and carefully thought as some eagerly and some more hesitantly wrote out their thoughts. I wondered over to one of the younger boys struggling with this activity and tried to help prop idea by asking him questions. As we finished one of my girls walked over to me with a very determined expression on her face. I assumed she was going to ask for permission to get a drink or use the washroom or something of the typical nature but instead she asked if she could share what she wrote and if I could pray for her.

We went to the edge of the room and I told her how proud I was of her for coming forward. This young girl has been growing in leaps and bounds since last year. She has such an interest and desire to learn and is always fully participating and asking questions without any hesitation. Yet she comes from such a broken place, a place of family members being involved in gangs and having been in and out of jail. Her life is filled with lies and poverty of true value and respect. I asked her what she took from the bible study and how I could pray for her. She opened her paper to reveal the words, “Oh you of little faith, said Jesus, why did you doubt”. I want to have more faith in my life, even when things are hard, I want to believe that Jesus is with me and I want to not doubt.

Oh what a childlike faith! The deep desire for faith, if she only knew the depth of her own words.