It's all rather amazing, how a little child has faith that can move mountains. He listens and believes and acts upon his belief. It's true that there are many grown ups who listen and believe and act upon their belief. But it's equally true that not all these represent the simple faith that Jesus speaks of. In the case of many, it's just a simplistic faith.

When simplicity of faith is not cultivated as a holistic virtue in our lives, what we have is a simplistic faith. The two are different even if they may bear a slight resemblance to each other. One is observable in a person's entire life expression, while the other is a delicate result of selective expression. A person who is simple in the faith abandons himself into the hands of God, whilst a person who is simplistic tries to show that he is abandoned into the hands of God when all along he's really still the one in control. It is naive and pretentious to expect one's self to be in control in other areas of one's life and yet to claim simplicity in obedience to God.

It takes the kind of deep spirituality that a child has in order to live a simple faith. Simplicity of faith isn't something that can be cultivated in a compartmentalised manner in our lives. You can't be simple in one area and then complex and sophisticated in another. It's strange how some adults are so sophisticated in their lifestyles and their handling of wealth, and then claim to be living a simple faith in their life journey. A child has a simple faith because he has nothing; he simply trusts.

Some people have gone too far to ever live a simple faith. They have too much.