23/06/2022
THEY ARE A BLESSING, NOT AN INCONVENIENCE!!!!
In every season of life, all of us encounter children—whether our own, or a friend’s, or nieces and nephews, or neighborhood kids. It’s important we have a a positive-informed view of them.
*The world view of children is that Children Are an Inconvenience:* The Common Attitude
Unfortunately, the pervasive attitude about children is that they’re inconvenient: Children get in the way of your plans for you.
An increasingly s*xually active culture has fueled this attitude. Years ago, pregnancy was the normal, expected outcome from having s*x. But thanks to birth control and abortion, children are now only an optional result of s*x.
The push to separate pregnancy from s*x is happening to appease a shamelessly self-centered lifestyle. Rather than a joyous moment, a positive pregnancy test is often received with fear as if it were a curse, a disease, or a punishment.
Apart from a small percentage of abortion for safe reasons, majority do abotion because the child is going to be an Inconvenience. The mindset that this child will inconvenience my studies, my family, my relationship, my carrier, my job are the main reasons for terminating the life of a child in formation.
This mindset that children just get in the way continues beyond pregnancy. Career rules all in our culture, and men and women everywhere are finding ways to farm out their parenting responsibilities to daycares, nannies, and grandparents so they can continue to live their life the way they want without inconvrnience.
Children are beaten, afflicted with pain, killed, abandoned, simply they are perceived by their parents as an Inconvenience.
Women burn children with hot objects, step moms subject step children to a lot of suffering, maids do the same, denying children food, because they are seen as an Inconvenience.
As a small boy I once saved a child whose father was going to throw in a stream of water. This neighbour has sent away one of his wives leaving behind a small child. As the child kept crying in search of the mother, father saw a lot of inconvenience from the child and would beat the child every day. One day he carried the child and thrown him into a stream of water. I saw him and I shouted, then he picked him back and carried him home. Why was he killing the child? The child in the search of the mother became an Inconvenience to the father.
Sadly, this attitude isn’t just found in the world around us, but also among those who follow Christ. We see this happening even among Jesus’ disciples in Mark 10:13: “And they were bringing children to Jesus so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.”
Imagine that moment. The disciples see a bunch of moms with crying babies, busy toddlers, and rambunctious 7-year-old boys coming to Jesus. Perhaps the disciples thought they were being incredibly spiritual and Kingdom-minded: “All these kids are slowing Jesus down. He’s got places to be, sermons to preach, people to heal, demons to cast out! Get them out of the way so we can get onto the important stuff of Jesus.”
The disciples considered children to be an inconvenience to Jesus’s ministry. And very often, so do many of His followers today. It might not be a career that causes us to sideline children; it might even be “important, world-changing ministry.”
*Children Are a Blessing, a Gift: The Biblical View of Children*
The Bible gives us no other way to think about children than this: they are a gift. A blessing. A reward. So how did Jesus respond to the disciples’ rebuke of the children?
And they were bringing children to Jesus so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them. (Mark 10:13-16)
Here are a few things we can learn from Jesus about children.
*Do Not Hinder the Children*
The disciples were trying to prevent these children from coming to Jesus. But He says do not hinder them. Literally, don’t get in their way! Don’t forbid these children to come to me!
How often do we stand in the way of the natural curiosity of a child because we’re too busy with “more important things”?
A child may be interested to learn about what you’re talking about with your friend, or understand what’s so special about what you are doing. Do we respond like the disciples in those moments, rebuking the child to “Leave me alone, go play with your toys. I’m busy meeting with my friend or talking about important things”? Do not hinder the children! Don’t stand in their way. Let them interrupt your plans and your day.
*Learn from Children*
Jesus tells the disciples that these inconvenient, time-consuming children actually have something to teach them: “The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” What a massive statement.
Not only should we welcome the interruptions of children, we should also have a heart to learn from them. Kids have something to teach us about true faith and love for God and His Kingdom. This should make us want to be around kids, and even seek them out, prefer them, and be eager to listen to their thoughts!
If Jesus had said, “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a lawyer will not enter it at all,” wouldn’t we find a way to spend time with a law student to understand what He meant by that? But Jesus has called us to learn from children. So pay attention to them, value them, and ask them questions. Learn from them.
*Slow Down for Children*
“And Jesus took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.” Jesus slowed down and engaged with these little ones. He got on their level. He spoke words of blessing over them. He stopped what He was doing to spend time with them.
Who are the children in your life? Do you purposely engage them? They may be your own children. Your grandchildren. Nieces, nephews. Friends’ kids. Children running around the house. Maybe it’s the children who come into the doctor’s office where you work. Don’t let your primary assumption of these little ones be one of inconvenience. Welcome them. Engage them. Speak positively to them and about them.
Do you desire to make a difference in this world for the cause of Christ and influence the next generation? Then pour into children! An investment in the life of a child pays huge dividends.
Think of your own childhood. Are there adults who took the time to slow down and get to know you? To teach you? To help you? Or adults that didn’t value you, but harmed you or spoke negatively to you? How did that affect your life?
Think of your parents. The things they did (or sometimes didn’t do) have likely impacted how you see the world even to this very day. Adults have a tremendous impact on children’s lives, for better or for worse!
Scripture clearly teaches that God has a special love for children. Look at Jesus—the way He took them onto His lap and said, “Unless you become like one of these, you won’t enter the kingdom of God.” I challenge all of us to be like our Savior in our attitudes toward children.
*They are a blessing, not an Inconvenience!*
