It was one of those idyllic summer days in the high country in Colorado. I had set up camp with my son and two grandsons as the sun sank lower in the west. The air was cool, but not cold as we laid out the sleeping bags and started dinner. The boys were early grade school and full of energy and excitement, when one of the kids announced in a simple, matter-of-fact tone, “Tomorrow I’m going to find a salamander and take him home for a pet!” 

I had been to this place before and was fairly familiar with the lay of the land and I know that salamanders live near the water that their damp skin requires. Not wanting to see my grandson disappointed on such a fun camping trip, I gently said, “Well… maybe on another camping trip when we camp closer to a stream, we can find a salamander, but this is not a place where salamanders hang out.”

With the same gentle, trusting spirit, he countered, “That’s okay, Grandpa, I’ll just pray and God will let me find a salamander tomorrow.” Now I’ve got another situation on my hands. This sweet, trusting child is about to be disappointed in God! I was searching for a wise answer. “Well, you see, God’s plan was to make salamanders with damp skin and so they need to stay close to water, so we wouldn’t want a poor salamander to dry out—he might die in a place like this; so we need to understand God’s plan and remember to look for salamanders in wetter environments. It’s pretty dry up here on this mountain pass in the summer.” I was sure he would understand. 

Now, as if he wanted to let me down gently, he doubled down, “Grandpa, God can answer prayers, so I’ll just pray for a salamander to be up here, so I’ll find one tomorrow and we can take care of him.”         

I decided to just say, “Okay, but we always need to remember that sometimes God says yes, and sometimes God says no. He knows best, so let’s leave it in his hands.” “Okay, Grandpa.” And that was that. 

Good sleep after a good dinner was interrupted when a bear walked through our camp, pretty close to the tent. We spoke softly but wanted the bear to hear us and walk away. My son and I were both armed, but that’s all there was to it. The bear walked on as if he had somewhere to go.

The next morning, we had a hot breakfast by a small campfire. By about 10 A.M., the day was warming, and the boys grew restless as we dowsed the fire. Then it happened… a small voice said, “Well, it’s time to go find a salamander.” We warned the kids not to get out of sight of the camp and reminded them of bears in the area. Off they went as confidently as Davy Crockett in the Tennessee mountains. We let them wander under our watchful eye and they never got more than perhaps 50 to 75 yards from the camp. They wandered around awhile, 30 minutes or so, then we saw them make a slow beeline back toward the tent. 

 “Look, Grandpa! Isn’t he pretty?” He opened his hands to reveal a beautiful, healthy, wiggly salamander!” I was speechless! My son looked at me, eyes wide in his own amazement. Then a sly grin crossed the boy’s lips, “I told you, Grandpa!” Indeed, he did. And Grandpa stood corrected by the simple faith of a child. 

Somewhere along the way, in the lives of most of us, we allow frustrating realities to slap our faith a bit too hard. Faith is not the problem, lack of it is. We tend to forget that God often says, “No” for our own good. Likewise, we often forget how many precious things in life are simply gifts from Him. The last I looked, James 1:17 still says, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” Yet in our smug arrogance, we often think, “Look what I did,” when blessings come. 

It literally scares me at times when I remember Jesus’ words from Matthew 18:3-6

Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. So, whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Yipes! Have I unwittingly hurt the faith of a child, even with good motives? We would do well to teach our children to trust God and also to accept it as His protection when He says no. No wonder Jesus calls us to humble ourselves like a child. 

We must never forget the beautiful message of Matthew 21:15-16 when Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem, “And the children who were shouting in the temple area, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David.’” The children! When some were indignant, Jesus responded, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘From the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?”

Consider Timothy: what a blessing he had. “From childhood, you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 3:15). 

Knowledge, faith, and wisdom that lead to salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus, are the priceless gifts we seek to give our children. We must trust in God, even when times are terribly tough. It is this trust that keeps the heart faithful to him. Please, let the children see it clearly in your life.

Trying to explain to a child that, “there just aren’t any salamanders on this dry mountain pass” might come from a good motive, but how much better it would have been to have said, with a touch of wonder, “That sounds great. Let’s pray together and see what God says.”

When children pray, adults should listen. When children pray, adults often learn. And sometimes when children pray, preachers/grandpas get put in their place!