WATCHWORD:
13 Little children were brought for Jesus to lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. “Don’t bother him,” they said. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and don’t prevent them. For of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” 15 And he put his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. Matthew 19:13-15
Meditation:
Maturity
Imagine this: A first-time father stands in his wife’s hospital room cradling his newborn daughter for the very first time. The feelings that flooded him were overwhelming. Every time he looked at the look on his wife’s face, and it made him cry with shared joy, some of his tears dropping on the baby in his arms. He looked down at her. Was she looking at him? Was that a smile? Overwhelming!
This daughter in his arms was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen and the sounds she made, the most beautiful sounds he’d ever heard. He said it again, His daughter. Then he thought about something else, my daughter, a child of God, very special. With that thought, he realized something he had never considered before: This daughter of mine, despite her size, possessed the seed of the Holy Spirit and that thought created in him a certainty that this child of his would grow to maturity as a child of God.
Skip ahead, three or four years, a summer afternoon, the same father started to walk out on the back porch, but instead stood, watched, and heard his daughter conducting a tea party for her dolls. He was about ready to join in when he heard her say “We must pray before we sip”. He thought, where did that come from? How did she learn that? Then he knew.
Too often, we underestimate the power of parental love, and rarely do we attribute the growth and change in a child, to the presence of the Holy Spirit, but it’s there. Like a flower that responds to fertilizer, water, and sunshine, we need to feed the flower that is our child; show her God’s love, see that she gets the living water of God’s word, and feels surrounded by the sunshine of his creation and love.
Our children learn from our example. We also need to allow the movement of the Holy Spirit and its inspirations within our child and to know that it is a proper guide from God.
As a preacher’s kid there were certain rules I had to follow, but in my childish nature I rebelled. I went through the motions, but my heart wasn’t in it. It would be years later before my new birth. It took time, God’s time, but there’s something about the sureness of His work in us, as well as in that newborn. He’ll get us where he wants us to be. We just need to be the malleable clay for the Potter that is God.
You and I were parents, at the very start of each life journey, and felt the magnitude of that responsibility. Maybe you sensed the peace of God’s presence. Well, our children are grown and have children of their own. So, how did we do? Can you see that God is still there, active with you and me, and those kids? Feel His peace. Trust in the Lord. Amen.
Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, be with our children, our grandchildren, and our great grandchildren, in their growth and development, and with each of us, Lord, as we continue on with our life journeys. May this be a time when we sense more clearly, more completely your presence in our lives. Lord, guide us, keep us safe, keep us healthy. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen
