Suffer the Children Unto Me

From the moment we started our own family, God has been sending young neighborhood kids to our home. I have often joked with other people that we 'collect kids.'  In actuality, what happens is that God seems to send children over to us, one way or another.  They stop by to play with our kids, to have snacks, or maybe just to play video games.  This phenomenon happens no matter where we move, or where we have lived in the past.  There has always been a steady stream of little ones knocking on our front door.  

I'm embarrassed to say that in the beginning, it used to annoy me a little.  I would be out trying to mow the lawn, or maybe doing some other work around the house.  And then came a knock on the door.  I've since learned that this is a blessing.  A way for us to help give back to God by helping watch over these little ones.  We are a safe place for them to come and have social interactions with other kids.  They arrive, and we open the door.  A simple but effective formula. 

It reminds me of the famous Scripture from Matthew 19:14 that says, "Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  Some translations say "suffer the little children unto me."  The term suffer here means simply to allow them to come forward.  


Jesus was often counter-cultural, and this situation was no exception.  Children back in first century Palestine were often marginalized, or thought of as simply less important.  Surely their parents loved them, but generally speaking, the rest of the culture thought of them as second class citizens.  Not the case with God.  He loved them, and so did His son.  The scene described in the book of Matthew was one where the disciples tried to stop people from bringing kids to the Messiah in order to be prayed over.  Jesus saw this, and put a stop to it.  He welcomed the young ones in, no matter how tired he was. 

We are in fact children in God's eyes - we know this because the Bible describes our relationship in this fashion quite often.  I am certain that God suffers us the same way Jesus did two-thousand years ago.  Jesus was willing to spend time with these young ones ... to take a moment out of his schedule and listen to them.  Scripture also says that we must be like little children in order to enter into Heaven.  Matthew 18:3-4 says, "...Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

We have heard things similar to this before from Jesus.  He also told his disciples that in order to be first in Heaven, they must learn to be last here on Earth.  No doubt this was confusing for them; it is confusing for us now.  

So this begs the question: how do we become like kids in God's eyes?  Why should a holy being such as God 'suffer' us to himself?  I don't know about you, but if the Bible takes the time to lay out a way for us to come closer to the Father, I'm going to listen.  Even if the answer may be couched inside of a parable or metaphor.  

I believe there are three ways in which you and I can become more like children in God's eyes.  The first way is to simply have faith.  We know from Scripture that good works are important, but that without the accompanying faith - they fall short.  Feeding the homeless for God is entirely different than feeding the homeless in order to impress other people or make ourselves feel better.  It is a matter of the heart.

Second, we can become more like children in God's eyes when we walk next to Him.  Everyone follows something or someone - some type of code or a way of thinking.  Even the man espousing no belief system is putting forward a belief, for example.  So why not consider being obedient to what God wants for us?  It might just so happen that this is better for us in the long run anyway, over and above what popular culture can teach.  

Finally, we can become more like children in God's eyes when we seek Him out.  This takes diligent and deliberate action on our part.  Think of those times in your life when God seemed distant, like He wasn't there.  Now ask this question: did He leave us, or did we maybe pull away from Him?  The more often we deliberately take time to trust Him in difficult situations, the more likely we might be to remember our faith when we really need it.  Continue to watch for God and to seek Him out.  There will be competing voices in your life, no doubt.  But listen intently so that His voice is the loudest one.

John 6:37 makes and extraordinary claim.  It says, "All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away."  This seems to imply that if God sees fit to view us as His children, then Jesus also sees fit to suffer us to himself.  There will never be a sin too grievous that it cannot be forgiven, or a time when you sought after God vehemently but He turned His back on you.  Indeed, Hebrews 13:5 says, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."  It isn't in God's character to abandon us.

So please continue to bring those little ones with you to church.  With a pandemic flaring around us, it is understandable that not everyone will worship together in person for a while.  But keep them in the fold, keep them engaged in what God is doing.  And in the process, make sure you are listening to His still, small voice also.  We are all His children, and He will never leave us or forsake us.  Take full advantage of that divine promise - it doesn't get any better than that. There is nothing comparable to it this side of Heaven. 



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Cast Your Cares Upon God

Have you ever had one of those moments in life that took your breath away?  Sometimes they are moments of joy, like maybe a budding romance or when someone does something generous to touch your soul.  Other times, however, something can happen that sends chills down your spine and adrenaline throughout your entire body.  One such occasion occurred to me while I was following my middle child home from school one day.  He was riding his bike and I was in the car immediately behind him, maybe ten yards back.  I was driving slow, and we were almost home. 

We began to pass a certain intersection right off the town square - it has stop signs on two sides, but not all four sides.  It looks like a four-way stop, but it isn't.  Drivers are allowed the right of way coming up a hill and through the intersection (local readers may be familiar with the spot I am referring to).  At any rate, on this particular day, my son didn't come to a full stop at his stop sign, and decided to continue riding through the intersection.  As he crossed, an oncoming vehicle jutted up the hill and came to a screeching halt, just in time for the front bumper of the car to touch his bike tire.  Fortunately by that time, both bicycle and car were at zero velocity.  I cannot say the same for my heart, as it wanted to explode out of my chest.  I had front row tickets from the driver's seat of my own car, as I watched what could have been a real tragedy unfold right before me.  

It all seemed to unwind in slow motion.  It reminded me of how little we can really  control when it comes to this life.  Similar things probably happen every day across our country.  Sometimes they end badly, and we end up watching grief-stricken parents on the nightly news.  

While considering all of this, it occurs to me that in light of what we can and cannot control, we can choose what we worry about.  For example, from that point forward if I chose to do so, I could have forced my child to wear layers of bubble-wrap and two helmets every time he took his bicycle for a ride.  Or maybe I could have decided that he was grounded from his bike for the next thirty-five years.  I didn't do that though.  Instead, my wife and I elected to follow the sentiment expressed in a particular piece of Scripture.  1 Peter is a New Testament letter that is short in duration, but wide in scope.

1 Peter 5:7 says this: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."  

Here Peter is speaking to both older church elders, as well as the younger generation in the church.  He says we are to remain humble, because if we really know God, we understand He is fully sovereign.  Peter then implores us to cast our anxiety, fear, and worry upon God Himself.  It shouldn't be up to us to carry that burden alone all the time.  A modern day translation of this Scripture might read as follows: stop trying to control everything all the time, be humble enough to understand that it's impossible anyway, so do what you can do, and give the rest up to God.  

Easier said than done sometimes, I'll grant you that.  Add to this, the fact that some of us seem more or less built to worry and control things - and you have a real dilemma.  But what does trying to control and worry all the time accomplish in our lives?  Doesn't it often make it easier for us to blame ourselves when things go wrong?  Doesn't it often seem to give way to making it a bit easier to blame someone else also?  The burden of worry and anxiety can bring about the very event we are trying to avoid sometimes I think.  And it often walks shoulder to shoulder with blame casting, in an attempt to dissuade personal responsibility.

You will note who the Bible says enjoys assigning blame also.  1 Peter 5:8 goes on to say, "Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."  

Satan often assigns blame and encourages anxiety.  We have been warned that there exists such a creature of sufficient demonic power that he can actually sway humankind away from godly thought and action.  Powerful enough that Peter warns us to 'be on our guard.'   True, we cannot blame everything on a being with horns and a pitchfork, but a good deal of sin and fear in the world is in fact demonic in nature.  Think about how divisive the COVID-19 pandemic has been psychologically for our country.  People often attack each other, simply based on where they stand on wearing a mask or using hand sanitizer.  What does this accomplish - other than panic or blame casting? Not much.

I want to make it clear also that I don't believe for a minute that even a casual reading of the Bible asserts you and I were meant to live a life of fear and worry.  It is a miserable existence because it doesn't mesh with our inner being.  God gives us promises to rest on and a narrative in the Bible that spans across almost four-thousand years, which exhorts mankind to pick up his or her cross, and walk boldly into the realm of the faithful.  The believer is allowed to call upon the very name of God's Son and make prayer demands and supplication.  Name another religion that grants us that ability in quite the same way.

We Christians carry a big stick, but we must be humble about it at the same time.  Use it as a walking stick to help navigate the spiritual path, and not as a sword to destroy and cast blame.  Learning to live with one foot in Heaven can mean the difference between living a life of survival and anxiety, and one of abundance and joy (even if there is a pandemic going on).  Even if someone you love almost gets hit by a car.  You can choose to worry and survive - or to be victorious and joyful.  Give me joy any day.

Pardon the analogy, but fear spreads like a virus.  Godly joy is even more contagious, however.  And for that type of joy, you need not wear a face covering or stay inside for weeks on end.  That type of joy is available to us right now, if we want it.  The path to acquire it was laid out for us in God's Word, such that we can call upon the name of Jesus whenever we need it.  We may cast our cares upon the creator; we can give it up to God.  

Pastors in fact, often fall victim to worry or anxiety.  Famous mega-church preacher Andy Stanley used to say that people who shepherd churches sometimes believe the myth that "if we don't do this or that, then it won't get done."  For example: if we don't start preparing a sermon early in the week, it won't be ready by Sunday morning.  Or if we take some vacation time, the church will be negatively impacted.  You get the idea. 

If you are experiencing a similar type of anxiety in your life, then know that you have permission to hand it over to God.  Worry just a little if you need to, do what you can to fix or prevent it, and then send up the rest up through prayer or fasting.  Let the devil cast fear and place blame as often as he wants.  I have a feeling he has read the last part of Revelation just like we have, and it says that God ultimately wins.  You have won also if you are a believer in Christ, sometimes we just need reminded that we can claim that victory in the here and now.




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