Here’s Hope: “Now as always, God discloses himself to babes and hides himself in thick darkness from the wise and the prudent. We must simplify our approach to him. We must strip down to essentials. We must put away all effort to impress, and come with the guileless candor of childhood. If we do this, without doubt God will quickly respond.” ( Quote from A.W. Tozer )
Mark 10:13-16 “And they were bringing children to him …” Please read the whole passage from Mark’s gospel.
Have you had any intentional conversations with a small child lately? Do yourself a favor and just take a few minutes to ask questions like, “what is your favorite thing that happened today?” I realize if you are the Mom or Dad of younger children, you have more than enough opportunities to have such conversations with your little ones. Perhaps due to covid-19, you have had way too many opportunities if you are a young parent confined to home during this terrible virus. However, I am sure there are some of you grandparents out there who can’t wait to get your hands on your grandchildren again. I am not in either one of those categories, not being a parent of younger children or a grandparent, but I have been privileged enough to hear and occasionally speak with younger children here at church. My point in mentioning the idea of talking with a child is that I usually come away from those brief conversations with children, being encouraged with their simple approach to life. Children are refreshing to be around with their views about life. When I reflect upon their ideas, they often make me smile. You and I can use all the smiles and encouragement we find these days!
Just recently, I read a devotion in “Daily Guidepost” about a mother’s encounter with her child’s first grade classroom that was insightful and inspiring. The writer (the mother) in “Daily Guidepost” named Erin MacPherson, shared how her first grader’s teacher had recorded the morning portion of the kids last at school. Mrs. MacPherson wrote, “We got to listen in as our precious children recited the date, their ABC’s, their addition tables, their memory verse, and then shared prayer requests. The teacher began to pray for their day. ‘Dear Jesus, she began, You are so wonderful. You are Almighty God. then tiny voices chimed in: You are love. You are holy. You are good. You are kind. You are truth. You are hope. You are light. You are everything we need. You are friendship. You are joy. Voice after cherished voice chimed in, each one sharing another attribute of our all-powerful and all-knowing God. Tears sprang to my eyes as I heard these children worshiping God. Each child was full of wonder, full of awe as the words seemed to come in a divine rush.”
What a beautiful picture of worship those children gave to their parents that morning as recorded by Mrs. MacPherson in her devotional writing. The time parents have with small children may be taxing and demanding but once in a while, you are gifted with moments like the one that this writer shared and you realize our children are a gift from God. You even begin to understand Jesus’s words as recorded in Mark’s gospel, “When Jesus saw this he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
So the next opportunity you have to talk with a little one, be very attentive to their words. You may be witnessing a moment when you are “seeing and hearing” the kingdom of God proclaimed in your very presence. Learn to treasure those special moments, they will be gone sooner than you might expect.
Prayer: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.” (The Doxology) Dear God, thank you for the gift of our children. Remind us that life is very short and help us treasure the moments we might have that reveal evidence of your presence with us through our little ones. May we be grateful for those special times in our lives that reflect You. Amen.