Matthew 19:14 “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ ”

I find it interesting how hard it is to learn some lessons. We think we’ve got things down pat and then we immediately respond to a new situation with the same biases and actions as before. Jesus and His disciples had many conversations about humility and how kingdom citizens are to treat each other, but the disciples couldn’t grasp the concept. All people are important to Jesus and children are little people characterized by the simple faith God requires.

Throughout his gospel, Matthew documents Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of heaven. Early in the book he records the famous Sermon on the Mount where the Beatitudes describe the traits of kingdom citizens. Those who are poor in spirit, pure in heart, mournful, merciful, meek, and peaceful exemplify the characteristics of true people of God.

Further on in the book, Jesus responds to an argument about who would be greatest in the kingdom. He placed a child in front of the disciples and taught that in order to even enter the kingdom one must exhibit the humility and faith of a child. He continued His object lesson by saying, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

I am sure the disciples took all of this teaching in and tucked it away in the far recesses of their minds, but it wasn’t long after that that they responded incorrectly to a situation regarding children.

One day as Jesus was teaching, some people brought children to Him so that He could place His hands on them and pray for them. Rather than clear the way and help herd the little group of excited youngsters to the Master, the disciples got on their high horses and rebuked the children and the adults with them. I can’t imagine how embarrassing and disappointing this must have been for all involved.

But Jesus opened His arms wide and with a big smile welcomed all the little ones saying to the disciples, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

What a joyful group that must have been as they all lined up to receive a blessing from the Lord!

While we know in our heads that children are important, how should we treat them when their crazy excitement for life ruffles our feathers? What lessons can we learn from this interesting scenario that Matthew records?

First, we must remain humble in all circumstances. Paul, in the book of Philippians, reminds us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” This attitude will impact how we respond when a noisy child interrupts a quiet church service with a laugh or a cry. It will help us to think twice about our reactions to the energetic antics that may disturb our peace or rock our adult world. These little people are learning. They need good examples to follow as well as the security that comes from knowing they are valuable to us.

Second, we, as parents and grandparents, must bring our children to Jesus. We can do this by praying for them regularly. Ask the King of Heaven to bless them and protect them from the evil in this world. Teach them and take them to church where they can learn the stories of Jesus and develop an understanding of His love for them.

Show them how valuable they are by giving them time, physically getting down to their level, looking them in the eyes, and patiently listening to their stuttering speech so they know their thoughts are important. These children are little people. Jesus loves them and we must love them too!

So don’t dismiss the little ones as the disciples did. Humble yourself, value them, and take them to Jesus. Because the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these!

Love,

Sandra Sheridan is a midwest wife and mother of five. She shares her letters to her children with our readers. Visit her at www.VersesFromMama.com.