Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciple rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.
Matthew 19:13-15 ESV

I don’t blame Blanche Wilson at all for the wreck I almost got into the day of her funeral. It wasn’t her fault I was nervous and running late on my way to be one of her pallbearers. She had no part in my failure to wipe down the dewy windows of my 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass that morning. No, this was all my doing. I failed to do all the things a good driver normally does when they’re pulling out into traffic, like making sure I could see what was coming down the road before proceeding. Fortunately, as the angry officer who came so close to hitting me explained, he had been well trained in accident avoidance by the California Highway Patrol. Otherwise, both of our mornings could have been much worse. As it was, instead of severe damage to my first car, me, and maybe the officer, I was given a stern lecture and a traffic ticket before I headed on to the service.

All that is less important, however, than the reason I found myself participating in the service at all. Mrs. Wilson was one of my Sunday School teachers and she loved me. She made sure I knew I was the apple of Jesus’ eye and that went double for her. Another thing I remember about her is that we were to be referred to as children, not kids. According to her, kids were small goats, children were children, and there was to be no confusing the two. I think sometimes we fail to appreciate the impact teachers and other caring adults have on children. Many times, children simply need to know they are important and have people in their lives who recognize that fact. The critical nature of the role we have in lovingly pointing little ones in our care toward Jesus can’t be overestimated.

God bless the children in our lives.
Do you remember
what it was like to be one?
In the rush to get things done
don’t forget to show God’s son
to the most precious people of all.

God bless the ones who must look up.
Let them see the savior mirrored in your face.
Take the time to teach,
to model more than preach
like Jesus did.

God bless the little ones
who must follow our lead,
whose good lot in life
is not always guaranteed.
Do what you can to fill the gap,
for the times when they lack.
God’s provision of care
is first for these.

An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
Luke 9:46-48 ESV

© Joel Tipple 4/27/2019