Lord, Why can’t we just walk through life like a child?

Lord, Lord, why do we live on this earth?

We know You have a purpose for us, but sometimes it’s hard to understand. You desire to use us, yet we are sinners—broken, imperfect, and constantly falling short. You ask us to have a childlike heart, full of trust and innocence, but as we grow, we are met with pressures, responsibilities, and the weight of the world.

Is it Your intention, Lord, for us to be shaped by stress and trials? Is the refining of our souls meant to mirror the process of a diamond, where intense pressure is needed to create something precious? Why can’t we remain as children, unburdened by the demands of life, free to experience the simple joy and wonder of Your creation?

Your Word says, *“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”* (Matthew 18:3). Yet, as we grow, we lose that innocence and trust. Life, as it stands, often feels overwhelming. There are moments of bitterness, pain, and confusion. We long for peace, but we are constantly caught in the currents of work, deadlines, expectations, and the fear of failure. Why must it be this way, Lord? Why can’t we just walk through life with the carefree spirit of a child, trusting and loving without worry or doubt?

Perhaps, in Your divine wisdom, You allow these struggles to mold us, to grow our faith and shape our character. As Romans 5:3-4 tells us, *“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”* Maybe, through the weight of life’s challenges, You are teaching us to depend on You more, showing us that real strength comes from surrendering to Your will.

As much as we want to avoid the hardships, it seems You use them to draw us closer to You, to strip away our pride and self-reliance, and to remind us that we are never alone in our battles. *“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”* (1 Peter 5:7). You are shaping us in ways we cannot always see.

But still, Lord, why can’t we stay as children? Why does the process of growing up come with so much pain, disappointment, and complexity? Is it through these trials that You are preparing us for something greater? Just like a diamond, is it through the pressure that You are revealing our true value? Your Word reminds us, *“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”* (Jeremiah 29:11).

We wrestle with these questions, and yet we know that You are good. Even in our confusion, we trust that You have a plan. Help us, Lord, to embrace the childlike heart You’ve called us to have, even when life tries to harden us. Give us the strength to endure the pressures of this world and the wisdom to understand that, in Your hands, those pressures are shaping us into something more beautiful than we can imagine.

As Isaiah 64:8 reminds us, *“Yet You, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.”* In the midst of stress, we are still Your children, and You are still shaping us.