Let the Little Children Come

But Jesus called for the children, saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

I have visited a variety of nations and have discovered something – children are much the same, especially young children. They love to play, sing, eat and agitate each other. When I was in Africa it was not uncommon for my white skin, light hair and blue eyes to cause babies to cry and the little ones to shy away. If you had never seen a Mizunga (white person) before, you would think something was horribly wrong. But it was not long, despite cultural and language barriers, for play to commence and the children accepted me. It was some version of chase and tag, singing and dance. These children were from different faiths, but that didn’t matter. Here is a video of me teaching them a song despite their lack of english understanding:

Singing with children in Africa – YouTube

I often think about the tender and forgiving hearts of children. As a parent I deeply loved my children but I made mistakes, despite this they would forgive and our relationship would be restored. Even when I had to correct my children, which was unpleasant for both of us, it did not take long for our relationship reset.

These children in Africa and other places easily accepted me despite my strange appearance. They trusted easily and it is this innocence and trust that Jesus used when he had the children come to him to teach his followers. Lois Tverberg said, “Childlike trust is a model for a believer’s commitment to God. People who are humble, who know they can’t live without God’s care and direction, who approach God as children do their father, are the ones that God can really teach and have a relationship with.”1

Let our hearts be like that of children as it relates to trust and forgiveness. May we trust our Papa God and not let hard hearts and the pride of life keep us from trusting Him who loves us and invites us to participate with Him in bringing His kingdom to Earth.

1. https://engediresourcecenter.com/2019/09/04/what-is-the-kingdom-of-heaven/