Like a Child

"When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Mark 10:14

I think one of the things I find most refreshing in my Christian walk is to come across those who are new to salvation. They possess a childlike faith that cannot be hidden. It is their essence when you're in their presence. They can't quote scripture, they can't discuss theology, and some may not even know some of the basic children's bible stories. However, what I find in them is a real love for God. It's a love that fills them up and overflows to those in their presence. It's the aroma of God. It may bewilder some or it may excite others, but whatever the case, it does something. What it isn't, is complacent.

Unfortunately, as we grow older both physically and spiritually, sometimes that excitement fades. We hear the stories of Jesus restoring sight to the blind or raising Lazarus from the dead and we think we've heard it all before. We lose the zeal and a pompous and, unfortunately, noncommittal attitude takes its place. What a crying shame. The very unfortunate part is our attitude has the propensity to affect others. We can impact adults new to the faith as well as young minds who are carefully watching our every move.

Recently, this truth came to mind as I found a student I taught years ago. The child was only eight when I taught her, but now she's an adult. She's married and has a child. It was a little mind boggling to see her after all these years. Seeing her face and the face of her child made me think back to that year in my teaching career.

I remembered a little boy I taught that year. I'll call him Michael. Michael was a sweet kid but very restless. He lacked focus and couldn't sit still. I caught him staring out the window frequently when he was supposed to be tuned into what we were doing. Unfortunately, his lack of focus caused him a lot of problems academically. He had great difficulty keeping up with the other children in the class. Nonetheless, he was a good kid. I think he desperately longed to please others.

Allowing my mind to drift back to that year in my teaching career, I remember vividly how Michael's struggles in school quickly began to escalate. I began to notice that the sweet kid I knew at the beginning of the year was becoming a real behavior problem. He was causing problems with the other children on the playground. He was bothering children in the classroom. He was becoming such a disruption that the discipline issues were becoming more than a daily distraction, but rather, an hourly distraction. I was ready to throw my hands up.

One day, as I found myself having to count to ten to calm down (holding firm to my commitment to not raise my voice with my students), I casually pulled Michael out in the hall and told him I wanted to talk with him during recess. He had been particularly defiant with me that day and I felt like it was time to have a one on one talk with him to see what was going on. So, at recess, we sat at the activity table in my classroom and faced one another in conversation. I asked him what he thought was causing his problems in the class recently. Of course, as with most little boys, the reply I received was, "I dunno." I asked him to direct his downcast eyes to meet mine. "Now, Michael, something is going on. Please just talk to me about what's going on with you. I'd like to help. I want to help you do your best in my class.", I reassured him. Then, I spent the next few minutes trying to conceal my hurt and shock from this precious little guy. For he explained to me that the night before, his daddy had pulled a gun on his mother, slashed the tires on her car, removed some components from her car ( spark plugs and such) and left. His dad just......left. I wanted to cry for him right there. It was no wonder this child couldn't focus. It was no wonder he showed defiance. It was no wonder he always fought to get a seat right beside me during group time. He wanted love. He wanted acceptance. He didn't want to be hindered. This poor child.

I can look back on my life, as you can your own, and remember the adults that made an impact on my life. I remember the teachers who made me feel larger-than-life with affirming words. I can also remember the teachers and adults who made me feel stupid and useless. I remember those who looked at me intently when I spoke and I recall those who yelled at me to go sit down. It made an impact.

Unfortunately, we tend to remember the bad more readily than the good. If we're given five compliments and one criticism, which sticks out in our minds? The criticism. It's frustrating and this type of attitude frustrated Jesus to the point of indignation. He wanted those with childlike faith to have complete access to him. He wanted children like Michael to know they were loved. Just because they weren't as smart or as well-versed was no reason for them to be pushed aside.

Christians must remember those who are watching. We mustn't push aside the weak. Parents must take time with their children. They must have quality time, words of affirmation, physical touch to demonstrate that their lives have worth. And it doesn't stop with parents. All should have the attitude of Jesus.

Everyone needs that safe place. They need to know they matter. Just like Michael, they need to know they can release the burdens and they're completely welcome despite any baggage. There needs to be refuge and a safe haven. What child doesn't want a place to go where others will jump up and down with excitement with him or wrap loving arms around him during moments of despair?

For anyone who doesn't know Jesus, one of the most important words in this verse was the word "come." Like a child, come to Him. He longs to wrap His arms around you and just listen to you. He wants to share in your excitement. He wants it all. He wants your all. Don't hold back. Lay yourself at His feet. Allow Him to love you where others have failed. He knows rejection. He knows disappointment. He knows anger and hurt. He knows sadness. He experienced it all. Come.

God, thank you for wanting your children to come to You. Thank you for the sacrifice You gave that we may come to You as we are. Father, I pray that we wouldn't hinder any others from coming to You. Let us not be stumbling blocks in our attitudes or lacking in displays of love to others. You demonstrated your love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. You loved us that much! Thank you! We love you, Father. In Your Name, Amen.