And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Matthew 18:5-6
I didn’t grow up going to church and learning Bible stories, but I do remember looking through our big Family Bible when I was a little girl and studying all the detailed pictures. This was before children’s picture Bibles were popular, and without knowing the stories behind them, some of these pictures were puzzling to me and others were down right disturbing. Of course, there was a very detailed picture of Jesus hanging on the cross that scared me because I didn’t really understand it, but there was one particular picture that I loved to return to over and over again. It was the picture of Jesus holding a small child on His lap while several kids gathered around Him. He was smiling at them and obviously liked having them there. This picture evoked very mixed emotions for me. First, it made me feel warm because He looked kind, and l gained comfort in the fact that He obviously loved children. Second, it confused me a great deal because my baby sister died when I was 5 and all my little mind could really understood about it was that Jesus had taken her to be with Him. And that didn’t seem right to me. It certainly looked like He had enough children already by looking at that picture. Why did He need another one? Where were all these toys people kept telling me He had for her to play with? I can remember staring at that picture at length while questions like these tumbled through my little brain. There is one question I don’t remember asking, though, even though I was extremely sad – and sometimes downright mad - my baby sister was gone: “Is Jesus even real?”
I share this with you because I have been struck this week by this little phrase from Matthew, “become like little children” and others like Matthew 19 where He says, “The kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these little children” and again in Matthew 21 where the children were singing His praises in the temple as He rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. Maybe it is because children are especially dear to my heart. Weeks like this make me want to hole up in my classroom with my students and shut out the “world”. As my kindergarteners entered my classroom yesterday, I felt I understood how Jesus felt in Matthew 19 when the children ran to meet Him. These little ones always enter my room trying to see who can get to me first for a hug. Now, we are told as educators to be wary of this type of contact for legal reasons, but there is no way I could push them away. They are so very hungry for love. They seem to NEED that attention. One of my little boys didn’t want to let go, though, and he climbed up in my lap. I gave him an extra tight squeeze and said, “Sweetie, come sit right here next to me and let’s get started with class,” but he didn’t move. If anything he burrowed in further and looked up at me with his eyes sparkling and his dimples shining.
“I lub jou, Miz Keeley!” he announced, and as my heart melted and all the mess of the day faded into the background, I had a glimpse of that picture I used to study so closely when I was a little girl of Jesus blessing all the little children. Sure, it feels great when you are surrounded by a group of kids who all want your attention, but I also had a huge reality check. What an enormous responsibility! “Anyone who welcomes a little child on my behalf is welcoming me,” He said in Matthew. It reminded me of why I do what I do where I do it. I don’t have a job. I don’t have a career. I have a ministry. I have a calling. I guess you could say my focus got adjusted back in the right place – again. But I was struck by the weight of responsibility God’s calling brings. Yes, the world nips at my feet and vies for my attention. There are always too many things to do in a day that can ever possibly get accomplished, but the utmost important thing I do every day is listen to His voice, accept His call and touch the lives of each one of the people He puts in my path. What if a child just needs me to make eye contact and smile and I’m too caught up with paperwork to notice? What if a child just needs a hug or a word of encouragement, and I am too busy worrying about something over which I have no control? I must keep my focus and see these children through His eyes, hear His Spirit guiding me, bringing glory to Him. It’s not about me. None of it is. It is about my kids. It is about God’s plan. It is about glorifying Him.
What about you? What does God have planned for you today? How is Satan working to distract and change your focus? At the end of the day, where is your heart, your eyes, your ears going to be focused? Will the needs of the people around you be met? Will God be glorified?
Lord, I lost focus again. Thank you for clearing it up for me again. Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful and exciting ministry. I love my children. Help me to meet your expectations and not have any of my own. Help me hear your voice directing me in the way I should go, the actions I should take, the words I should say. Let no one person – young or old – leave my presence before I have fulfilled your will for our encounter. Help me be bold. Help me be loving. Help me emulate You in every way. I praise you, Lord. I thank you, Lord. I place every part of my life at Your feet, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen
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