CHILDREN

Children have always held a fascination for me.  In my church I have worked in different ways with younger children.  I find myself drawn to them.    I learn so much from them.  I guess on a realistic basis, we can spend much of our time aggravated with children, especially you who care for your own children daily.  Then there are times when all that aggravation is erased when you get that sweet, sweet moment that gets you all warm and fuzzy inside.

So here’s some things I’ve noted about very young children that merit mentioning:

Children don’t have to be taught to do wrong.  They seem to know that already.

Teaching children to do right is often a full time job.  Patience and firmness are necessities in this teaching process.

Children love to play.

Children hear more than you think.   They have selective hearing—obviously inherited from their dads.

Children can bring a tear to your eye with just one little sweet unexpected word.

Children really like to be praised.

Children count on us as adults to show them the way.  Maybe they don’t understand that is what they do, but they do.  Let’s not fall short of this task.

Children are full of innocence. 

Children are sociable with their peers. 

Children have to be taught to share with their peers.  Once this is achieved, life is good.

Children need to be loved. 

Children love animal crackers and goldfish. 

The list is endless.

Sunday morning during Big Church,  I substituted as Children’s Choir Director in the absence of the director.  I chose to have them sing “Jesus Loves Me”.  It's often the "go-to" song when I substitute.  This Sunday, though, as the boatload of children in that choir stood and began to sing, it was different.  There was something about the sound of those children’s voices singing “Jesus loves me this I know” that got my tears to the edge and I was blessed yet again by children. 

As I think about it, we adults are not so different from children.    As a mother, I find myself still in conversation saying “my little girl” when talking about The Girl even though she’s not a little girl anymore.  In my eyes and the eyes of The Husband, she will always be our little girl.  Some things just don’t change.   As the child of my Heavenly Father, I realize no matter how long I’ve been His child, I will still be His child forever and always.   And as a child of His, I am NEVER too old to learn from Him.

“Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God.”    Mark 10:14

And I say, “Amen”.