Come as a Little Child by Lane Jordan Burday
Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there (Matthew 19:13-15).
I was with my precious grandson this past weekend. He is 21 months old, and his smile is a million-dollar one that lights up our lives. Scott and I can’t stop looking at him, playing with him, and being with him.
And what I notice most is his pure, unfaltering faith and trust in us. We can pick him up and swing him, and he laughs for joy. Scott tells him to jump to him in the pool, and he doesn’t just jump—he also turns around and falls back into the safe arms of his Papa.
His love for nature, as we take walks together, gives us a new look at all that God has created. The world is a pretty marvelous creation! No wonder Jesus commanded his disciples to “let the little children come to me” so he could bless them, but most importantly, just to be with them.
This encounter with children is told in three of the gospels: Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:14, and Luke 18:16, which shows us that this story is very important. Jesus wants us to understand that the simplicity and the humbleness of a child are all we need to come to Him! However, in all three accounts, the disciples tried to stop the parents from bringing their children to Him, prompting Jesus to rebuke them and declare that the Kingdom belongs to these precious children—and all who come to Him with a childlike, humble, and trusting faith.
Isn’t that just how adults act? We think our work is so important that we are ‘too important’ to stop for anything as simple as children. That is probably how the disciples felt. They were with this famous Rabbi! They had important work to do! But the opposite is the truth. There is nothing we do that is more valuable than reaching down to the lowest of all and seeing them. Bringing them to the source of salvation.
How I pray that every single child in this world will be loved! That their needs would be taken care of with plenty of food, clothing, shelter, and most of all love. If just one person in a family saw those in need in their family, what a different world we would have.
I hope that this week you will see a precious child, take the time to lean in, see him, and share God’s love!
It’s what Jesus would do.
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Do you live in our near the Austin area? Do you need a day of spiritual refreshing? Then you will want to join us for our Level-Up Austin event on April 25th from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Wells Branch Community Church. Register today at: https://levelupconferenceaustin.eventbrite.com.