Seeing Children with Jesus' Eyes

Then little children were brought to him for him to lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  Matthew 19: 13-14

Sometimes the people in our life become like furniture. They are just around, they are expected, they just are. We’d miss them if they were gone, but do we take advantage of the opportunity of having them there?

God is opening my eyes to this thought, particularly where it pertains to the children in my life. They are not there by accident. I have a unique opportunity to let them know that they are seen and loved, by me and by God. In fact, it may not be just an opportunity, it may be a responsibility.

When I was raising my children, both sides of this coin were evident to me. I saw the sand flowing through the hourglass of their childhood far faster than I wanted it to. I knew my opportunity with them was much shorter than I would like, and I felt the weight of my responsibility far heavier than it probably was (I think I was trying to borrow more than a little of God’s responsibility for them). Really, my radar for them was so intense that it branched out to their friends and peers as well, especially while we were leading youth group for years. But once they had all reached adulthood, I think that piece of my heart shifted into neutral. Perhaps it had been in overdrive for so long that it needed a break. And for a little while, there truly were very few children in my life. But now that season is changing, as seasons do. The next generation is popping up and the little ones are pitter pattering in once more.

At first, I think I held on to my “Not my kid” excuse a little too tightly. I wasn’t ready to care again. I wasn’t ready to invest again. I was still tired. Today’s verses opened my eyes, though, to what I’ve been missing. Children matter to Jesus, and what matters to Him should matter to us.

Here’s the Thing: When I look at my meager store of energy, I feel like I don’t have enough bandwidth to share, but here’s the deal, I need to make room. I trust that if I do, Jesus will make up the difference.

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