To accept someone into your space (as in to begin a conversation) is often the first step in establishing a relationship with someone.  We then are moved to believe that there is a possibility that we could develop a close friendship with this person.  This is exactly how we made friends when we were children.  Go with me to an imaginary scene that could occur in any elementary kindergarten, pre-school, or really any classroom.

A solitary child is playing.  She stands next to her toy kitchen, mixing invisible ingredients for her invisible meal that she is cooking so she can serve her meal to her invisible family.  Then there is another child who sees the one playing, and he decides to join the fun, so he walks over to stand beside her.

He does not ask, “Can I play?” but instead picks up one of the tiny spoons that is resting on the play-kitchen counter.  Holding the spoon in his hand, he looks at what she is doing, mixing, and stirring and preparing her imaginary meal.

At this point, the little girl has a decision to make.

She can:

1. Ignore the little guy who has walked up beside her and picked up the spoon. OR
2. Snatch the spoon from the boy’s hand and retort, “That spoon is mine.  Go away.” OR
3. Hand the little boy a bowl to go with his spoon so he too can join her time of play.

To accept someone into our space is often the first step in establishing a relationship with someone.  At that time, we are just playing together, sharing space, sharing time, sharing toys, sharing our day—together.  At that time, we have just “Accepted” the fact that maybe, just maybe, we might become friends.  Return with me to the imaginary scene.

The little girl realizes that someone has come up beside her near the play-kitchen, so she scoots over just a bit, giving him room to come along beside her.  No words are spoken, just a gentle flutter of movement, a gentle acceptance.  He picks up a bowl sitting on the counter and begins to stir inside the bowl with his spoon, joining her in the preparation of their “meal.”  Together they play, getting to know one another in a natural way—the day-to-day life of a child.  Minutes go by, together they remain, playing, stirring, even sharing small snatches of words, not really talking in full sentences but understanding still with a head-knowledge what the other is saying through a singleness of word.  Time passes by, and still they play, until their teacher exclaims, “Okay, everyone take your seats on the reading rug.”  Immediately they obey.  Laying down their spoons, they turn and go to the rug in the far corner of the room where they sit down beside one another.  It’s new to them, this togetherness.  Before this day, they had played, but they had played apart, alone, or with other friends.  Today, they found acceptance as they played together, and now (without knowing what it is called) they begin the first step to “believing” that maybe, just maybe—They just might become friends.

To believe someone could become our friend is the step necessary in establishing a relationship with someone.  Marriage begins this way.  Individuals who are acquaintances become friends who share time together, discover that their friendship is truly more special than other friendships, and so they begin to date, to “court” one another, and soon they fall in love, one with the other.  The natural life step is to make vows to one another, promising to love the other forevermore.

At that time, we have not only  “Accepted” the fact that maybe we might become friends, but we have also “Believed” that truly, we are friends, and even more than just playmate friends, but “REAL FRIENDS, TRUE FRIENDS FOR LIFE.”   Return with me once again to the imaginary scene.

The school day ends as it faithfully does each day, but today, the end of the day is different.  Today, the two children wave and call “goodbye” to the other before they turn to run to their parents.  Inside their little bodies resides tiny hearts (hearts the size of their small fists); yet these tiny hearts have taken on a new dimension today.  Inside their tiny hearts, these two have found something precious:  Relationship, Friendship, and the onset of Love.

Now maybe we are thinking, “Love, yeah right.  They’re just kids,” but let me remind us that children have the exact same components inside their hearts as adults.  In God’s Word, we are even told how a person is to accept the TRUTH of God as a child does.  SEE WITH ME.

• Are we saying that we “believe” in the facts found in the Gospel?  OR
• Are we instead saying the MOST IMPORTANT STATEMENT!?
• Do we instead mean this statement?—I BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL SO MUCH THAT I TRUST JESUS AS MY SAVIOR! &
• Do we instead also mean to say these words?—I TRUST JESUS AS MY SAVIOR, THAT HE DIED UPON THE CROSS OF CALVARY FOR MY SINS!
• Do we also really believe this Truth?—I ACCEPT THE TRUTH THAT JESUS DIED, THAT HE WAS BURIED,  & THAT THREE DAYS LATER, HE AROSE FROM THE GRAVE TO NEW LIFE!
• Do we also mean (deep down in our hearts) this ULTIMATE TRUTH?—JESUS IS OUR ONLY HOPE FOR HEAVEN!

• FAITH is God’s gift to us.
• FAITH is God’s grace.
• FAITH is trusting God with “child-like” FAITH that Jesus is who He says He is!
• FAITH is trusting God when He says in His Word that we can have a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus!
• FAITH is believing—God’s Son, Jesus Christ, gave His life upon the cross for me.
• FAITH is believing—God raised Jesus Christ back to life, three days after Jesus was dead and buried in the tomb.
• FAITH is “accepting” & “believing” & “asking” Jesus Christ to forgive me of my sins.
• FAITH is “trusting” Him—that He will.
• FAITH is “accepting” & “believing” & “totally knowing” that I have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to GAIN in JESUS as my SAVIOR.

FAITH IS EVERYTHING!