“The Bible calls debt a curse and children a blessing. In our
culture we apply for a curse and reject blessings.” ~Doug Phillips
This quote so accurately depicts
the twisted values of our culture. From the obvious, such as abortion and birth
control, to the less obvious, such as feeling that children are always “in the
way” or a hindrance to our ministry, God’s blessings are being rejected in our
country. It should not be a surprise that our country seems to be under a
curse–we have brought it on ourselves!
Sometimes this rejecting of God’s
blessings is subtle. It makes me sad every time I hear someone say that they
could do ministry better without their children, so they need to find someone
to take care of the children while they minister. We do not recognize that
children often minister the most effectively in ways and situations that we
never could. (Note: there are
certain types of ministry that may be more difficult for young children and
discernment must be used.)
This rejection can be even more
subtle than that, though. What do you do when a child comes to you with a joy
or sorrow to share? Are you too busy to listen to them? Jesus said “whoever
receives one such child in My name receives Me”. We must beware lest we reject Jesus
Himself!
4 comments:
So, so true! Thank you so much for sharing this Anna! I wholeheartedly agree; it's so easy to forget how important children are sometimes, how precious they are, and what an impact they can make on the world.
I'm sorry you haven't heard from me for so long! I'll try to send you an email soon. :)
You're welcome, Victoria! I have been inspired by your family's example in this area of recognizing the value of children and showing Christ's love to them!
You might get an email from me before I get one from you since I have a couple questions for you. :)
Exactly. And when people's kids try to talk to you, or hug you or follow you and the parents are like "So sorry he/she is bothering you".
I think too, that in our family we need to work on realizing just how much of a blessing our siblings really are.
I've heard that before, too, Theresa. I see my own failure in this; I think it is too often that I make my siblings feel like I don't have time for them or they are in the way. May the One who said "let the children come to me" give us the right perspective!
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