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Children are A Gift from God

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  Matthew 19:14

Over the Labor Day Weekend, I spent some quality time with two of our adult daughters and a few of the grandchildren. We laughed and talked about upcoming movies we can't wait to see, and discussed transitions some of the grandchildren are now planning for when it comes to college enrollment. As I sat at my daughter's kitchen table, I thought about her childhood. As I looked around the table, I thought about how blessed I am to not only witness my daughter's success as a married woman with a husband, four beautiful children, and a career, but also how blessed I am to be able to watch one of my granddaughters talk about whether she should attend Austin Peay State University or MTSU. I thought to myself, children are indeed a gift from God. None of our children is perfect. In fact, they are going to make decisions that fill you with pride, and they are also going to make decisions that make you want to pull your hair out. Right or wrong, good or bad, our children are still a gift from the Lord. 

I truly understand why Jesus was so protective of children. He recognized their value to humanity and to heaven. Their innocence cannot be faked, they trust without fault, and their inherent value is worth more than gold. In fact, children exemplify through their actions, attitudes, and words, the trust, humility, and faith required to one day make heaven our home.

I love watching children play together during their age of innocence because the color of their skin doesn't matter, nor does social status/class mean anything to them personally. Racial identity, the neighborhood you live in, and/or the kind of job you have, and the balance in your bank account are the furthest things from an innocent child's mind. There are many healthy and unhealthy behaviors we pass along to our children through our own demonstration. Racism, classism, and many other isms we believe in and demonstrate are things that are taught and help shape what was once an innocent child's heart and mind.     

As you set aside time to prepare for what life has in store for you today, please carry this Discipleship Devotional in your spirit, heart, and mind. Pray and thank God for your children. Take a moment to reflect on your own biases and ask God to help you not pass those biases on to others. I'm sure there are valuable lessons to be learned from an innocent child. Faith, trust, and humility are just a few of them.

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