Our children matter

     When I was a little kid, I spent most of my days at Jefferson Elementary School.  My family always seemed to have just enough money to get by, but never much extra.  And if there was extra, it was usually going to pay for my older siblings' college expenses.  That was where my mom and dad’s priorities were.

     So when I went to school, I carried my metal lunch box that was filled with homemade goodies - a thermos with chocolate milk, a sandwich, a piece of fruit, sometimes chips, and usually a cookie.  It was cheaper for my parents to send me to school with food made at home than to buy the hot lunch food.

     But, somewhere along the way, I got to have hot lunch one Friday, and it was pizza day.  Man, was I sold on that! 

     From that day on, I begged my mom to let me have hot lunch on Fridays. I didn’t care about the other days. I just wanted the pizza.  

     But, when it came to pizza Fridays, I also learned something that I didn’t know as a little boy - I had two aunts that worked with the school’s food service.  When I started showing up to the lunch line on Fridays, my aunts would look for me as I came through the line.  At first, they would smile and say something nice to me.  Then, they started having little jokes for me.  Eventually, they landed on something better than smiles or jokes - they gave me my own personal dessert or candy that none of the other kids got. 

      I looked forward to seeing them every week. They made me feel special.  They genuinely liked seeing me come through the line, and they got a kick out of how excited I would get for a piece of rock candy.  They were funny and kind to me, and I noticed that the other lunch ladies weren’t.

      As I was reading scripture recently, it jumped out to me  how Jesus interacted with children.  In Mark 10, people were bringing their children to Jesus to receive a blessing, but his disciples rebuked the people and tried to keep the children from approaching Jesus.  I’m sure that they were thinking that Jesus had more pressing matters to address than to spend time with the little children.

     Jesus responded to his disciples by saying that he wanted the children to come to him.  He asked them not to hinder them.  In the midst of his transformational ministry, he took the time to get down with the children, speak with them, and care for them. 

     Did you also notice that the children wanted to be with him?

     And this is what hit me hard.

     What does it take for a child to want to be around an adult?

     It’s really not a lot.  They’ll respond to a smile - an open hand - someone who kneels down  to talk - someone who will play with them - someone who offers them a snack.

     Children have the ability to read adults in a nano-second, and you’ll know how they are reading you by how they approach you - or don’t.  

      Why does this matter?

      Children will one day be the carriers of the Christian faith to the next generation.  It takes adults to train and teach children the tenets of faith, but who will those teachers be?  

     Children will allow adults to have influence over them if they know they are loved, safe, and cared for.  They’ll tolerate others, but they will love those who are kind, warm, and compassionate towards them.

     You see, I’m sure Jesus did have very important things to do with the adults around him, yet children wanted to be with him.  He had to have given off a warm impression in order for this to occur. They didn’t avoid him. They didn’t run away from him, and they didn’t cower in his presence. 

     They gave Jesus the opportunity to minister to them, because he truly cared for them and took the time to be present with them.  He didn’t push them away and treat them like they were a nuisance. 

     A friend of mine’s kids used to refer to their grandpa as Grumpa. 

     The kids knew to stay away from their grandpa, because he was always irritated with them.  

     There’s no doubt that kids can be a challenge, but as adults, we have been given the commission to disciple these young people in the faith.  Jesus loves them and so should we.  

      I think it’s fair to ask how kids perceive you and how they interact with you as an adult.  Do they run to you?  Or do they run away from you?  Either response is telling.

     Take the time for the kids in your life to get down on their level and let them know that you aren’t too busy for them - that you care for them - and that you love them.  That kind of relationship will allow you to speak into their lives when the hard times come and they need to be redirected to Jesus.  

      If you want the kids in your family to know Jesus, you’ve got to invest the time while they are young.  If you don’t take this time, don’t expect them to seek you for spiritual advice later on.

     I’m glad that I have memories of my aunts making me feel special.  I knew I could trust them, and they gave me someone I could count on.  

     We should do the same for the young ones in our lives. 

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