Bible time--Stumbling a Child

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. Matthew 18:4-5

Children can teach us things. There are reasons that they are tender, yet messy and demanding. They require the best of us, and they bring it out, even when we resist it.

Our little Faith is going through a trying time. She has not been using the toilet, even though she is potty-trained. We have bribed, threatened, and lectured, all to no avail. The fact is, she is not making our lives convenient. It would be so easy to become angry with her and try and force the issue until she felt that she had lost all of our love and esteem.

I have seen it happen. How many times do adults take the frustrations of this life out on their children? It only takes a little inconvenience and many of us begin to peck at the little ones in our lives. I have seen it happen in the barnyard. There will be a little chick whose mother has died, and the other hens, and even the other chicks, will peck at it until it dies.

This is the devil’s plan for families. The very place that should be the sweetest haven of love is turned into one of hellish pain. Instead of facing the weakness that lies within us, we focus on using the weakness of someone else to make us feel powerful.

But this would be murder for little Faith. She is so full of life, so “sparkly” as I call her. She giggles and smiles and charms everyone with her perkiness. When we are dealing with the issues in her life, I never want to give her the impression that she isn’t worth it all. I never want to make her feel as though she is pain to us.

Jesus said, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” When we don’t give our children unconditional love, we are stumbling them. When we give them the false impression that they make our lives less, we stunt them. When we grumble and complain about all the things we have to do for them, we are in peril of receiving God’s wrath.

Parenthood is a privilege. God places in our hands another eternal being at its most vulnerable and gives us the charge of caring for it. Anyone is aware of how fragile a newborn baby is, and we all take great care with even how we move when holding one. But this vulnerability does not stop at infancy. Children need great care and love all through their lives.

Of course, we are only human beings. What I may think my child needs may not be what she perceives she needs. This brings me to two very important conclusions:

1) Children need to be very forgiving of their human parents,

And

2) Parents need to practice selflessness and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

So yesterday, when Faith was going around the house and getting into all sorts of things, God gave me a creative idea to get the focus off of her shortcomings, and onto the blessing she is. I told her she was like “Robbie the Robot” (she loves this character from old sci-fi movies) and that I was her master. I gave her little tasks to do in my best monotone, robot voice, and she carried them out in her best stiff-legged, robot shuffle. She answered every command with “Yes, Mustard”. It was a lot of fun, not just for her, but for me! By using my whole being to communicate love and acceptance to her, I tapped into the unlimited supply of God’s love, for the both of us.

Father, thank You for the privilege of being mommy to Bekky, David, Leah, Grace, Anna, Timothy, Nicole, Joshua, Ryan, Sarah, Eliana, Olivia, Faith, Lorilee and Patience. I am so unworthy of wonderful blessings like these. Give me Your love today, Your patience and longsuffering. I am weak and incomplete. I have blind spots and bad habits, but I am open to Your correction. Make me a better parent for their sakes, and for Yours. I look to You as the perfect Father who will teach me as You bless me with Your unconditional love for me. And bless my earthly parents, and thank You for the investments they made in my life. Let their day be wonderful and filled with Your love today.

In the name of Jesus,

Amen.