How Parents Reject Kids
A couple ushers approached a visitor and asked him to take his child to the nursery. Offended, the visitor asked why–his child was not disrupting the service. “Yes, we know, sir. But we have a policy that no child should be in the adult services. We have classes and care centers for all ages.
The visitor got up and left, taking his family with him. Fortunately, I do not know where this church is. I hope it is not yours.
Understand the family the way God designed it, with this interactive devotional.
“And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and… he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:13-14, 16).
Cherish the little ones
I peeked into my wife’s little greenhouse last spring, where she was working with her vegetable starts. Our two-year old, was “helping” mommy. She had the spray wand and was washing down the walls, watering the workbench, and even offered to wash my hands. In spite of her fixation with the streaming water, her little mind was keenly alert. When one of us happened to mention an old ice cream bucket filled with potting soil, she looked up from her sprayer and said, “Ice cream?”
Kids are a gift from God. As the song says, “Thank God for kids, there’s magic for a while, a special kind of sunlight in a smile.” And yes, “the nearest thing to heaven is a child.” So that makes me wonder why so many people talk about kids as if they are a nuisance. Instead of a bother, children are a blast!
Children are not to be “put up with” or “put out”
I pity parents who “put up with” their children. God wants us to delight in our kids. One of the marks of being ready for Christ is that the hearts of the parents be toward the children and the children’s hearts toward their parents (Malachi 4:5-6). Jesus rebuked his disciples for wanting to push children out of the group. Often people interpret this as a mandate for children’s programs at church, but the biblical model shows that the parents are to be the center of influence in a child’s life.
We shouldn’t let daycare, school, or sports become ways of absolving us parents of these moments to enjoy their childhood. We must hold them close, inspire them for greatness, and love them just as God loves us. And most of all, let’s not forbid them to come into the arms of Jesus. The more of the Lord they see in us, the closer they’ll be drawn to Him.
Prove your love for God by how you care for a child.