The Joy of Children - Don’t Hinder Them

For the past five days, my wife and I have had two of our three grandchildren with us. We were also together with all three of our grands on a couple of occasions over the July 4 holiday weekend. The youngest granddaughter turned five months old on July 4.

 

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

 

When I look at my grandchildren, I am first reminded of our four children when they were little, and of all of the trust they put in us as parents, and of all the hopes that we had for them. Each is now grown, living in his and her purpose, and doing very well.

 

Spending this quality time with our grandchildren made it clearer how marvelous the grace of God is, and how much their parents love them, care for them, and provide positive experiences. It was a joy to see the creativity and positive energy of our five-year-old grandson and our seven-year-old granddaughter. They love to imagine, draw and create worlds in which to express their thoughts and dreams.

 

We created a couple of videos in my home studio on green screen, in which my granddaughter scripted and shared her knowledge of animals and nature. She and her brother worked together, haggled a little bit, and made two fun videos talking about the attributes of elephants, zebras, cheetahs, and lions. It was actually informative.

 

When a child's mind and heart is nourished and is open to Christ, they express the freedom and creativity of their Creator. This is one of the reasons why Jesus said "do not hinder them." Children represent the kingdom of God which is the source of hope, creativity, and life at its best.

 

However you interact with children, as parents, grandparents, educators, or others, let us all be very intentional on providing the kind of life and environment in which children learn to love the Lord, become full of hope, eager to learn, and their God-given creativity and uniqueness.

 

God Bless and Be Encouraged!

Bryan Hudson, D. Min.