Such As These

"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

In a crowd where people were looking for miracles to be done, lives to be changed and arguments to be settled, here comes these people bringing kids to see Jesus that He might "lay his hands on them and pray." As a mom I have to just stop and recognize this beautiful moment. I don't know what the conversation was between these adults and children. I'm not even sure these children truly understood who He was, but whatever they believed, they knew that His touch and prayers over their children would change their lives forever.

As a mom, the greatest prayer I have for my children is that Jesus would wrap His arms around them and they would be sensitive to the ways of the Holy Spirit their entire lives. In this moment, these people cared enough to introduce their children to Jesus. I have to stop and ask the question; Are we so caught up in our positions, titles, and roles that we've lost the ability to show our kids who Jesus is?

If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times. "It's a scary time to raise children" It's truth, and quite honestly truth, that scares me. These are scary times. But "scary times entered when Eve ate the fruit and sin entered the world. We have to remember in those days Jewish children were not held with value or respect. So much, that the disciples actually try to stop these people by rebuking them. How scary is that?! But then, Jesus reaches out and offers his hand over these little lives. When the enemy used, Christ's own disciples, to become a hinderance to these children, Jesus invites the children to Himself.

1 John 3:1 says "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! We are these. We are the children of God. Those who have accepted Christ he calls His own. He is available to us every day, waiting for us to draw near. Whatever hinderance gets in our way, let us not forget the mighty presence that draws us to keep our eyes focused on Him. That by drawing near we would feel His presence so heavily on our lives it was as if his hands were physically on us.