Here is a story by a guy named Cliff Davis, which portrays in a beautiful way what childlike faith is all about. One afternoon in early autumn, Ric (the husband/father in the other family) and I were setting out on our tractor to pick up a wagon, which we had a few days earlier lent to a neighbor. Just as Ric was climbing into the seat, his daughter came charging out the door pleading her father to take her along.
On her heels was my son who, upon hearing Ric say, "Well, okay," was amazingly unable to hear me say there was no place for him to ride safely. After an endless stream of tears and a countless number of "But Daddy . . . But Daddy . . . But Daddy . . . " I consented to hold him for the half-mile ride over paved road.
Usually, Ric drove the tractor and I stood behind him (on one foot at a time) on a two-inch wide drawbar, and held onto the tractor seat with a good grip, just in case one of the many bumps we hit caused me to lose my footing altogether. It was a very hazardous way to travel but I had grown accustomed to it.
On this particular trip, however, I had reduced my grip by half, by holding my son in one arm, and I had reduced my control over my footing to almost zero. About halfway there the folly and outright stupidity of what I was doing struck me with a mighty fear. In the few seconds that fear raged, I began to look for where I might attempt to roll if I should fall off, and how I would best protect my son in such a circumstance.
At the peak of my panic I turned to my son to see what he was thinking about the situation. It was amazing. With the wind pushing back his hair and the sound of the old tractor roaring in his ears, he was ecstatic. His face was aglow and his eyes danced with delight. The bouncing only made him more jovial. He even rested one arm around my collar, while he waved the other in the current of the rushing air.
Not only was he totally oblivious to the danger at hand, but he was also thoroughly enjoying it. For him, there was no danger. As far as he was concerned, everything was just fine. How often, since that day, I have told myself that, no matter how complex the problem or imminent the danger, there is but one place for me: safe in my Father’s arms. I only wish it were as easy for me as it seemed for my son that day.