Let the little children come
Last night during home Bible study I watched as three babies lay on the floor (Kennedy, Bella and Brayden). One baby walked reluctantly from the sidelines into the group (Zoe), knocking over one of the younger ones (Kennedy), while the older ones,(Caroline, Taylor and Ally) played upstairs and Trajan participated with the adults. Intermittently, all or some of them came into the group only to leave again. Each of them, at some time, needed reassurance from parents, help, permission or discipline. Adults surrounding them sang, prayed, and shared a message from scripture, led by my husband. How much like the first century church, our home Bible study really is!
Regardless of age, when a person becomes a Christian he comes in a baby. No, not because of ignorance, but because of love. That's how Christians come into the church. God is our first love because He first loved us, way before we loved Him. He wants new converts to be loved, embraced, held and fed. None of the three babies that were on the floor could be left alone, because their maturity level is totally inadequate for the dangers they might face.
"Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away." Luke 8:13
Did not Zoe test the younger babies when she hit Kennedy with the ball? Even though Zoe is little, she still has the ability to walk, while carrying a ball almost as big as she is. Don't we have the ability (those of us who are older in our "walk") to knock someone down, with the wrong word or the wrong spirit or the wrong tone, because we do not consider their "newness in life" and young faith? Isn't it easy to just mow people down with our arrogance, impatience and attitude, not realizing the damage we are doing, but that we do anyway? New Christians, and especially non-Christians, must be loved, embraced, held and fed spiritually, just like Kennedy, Bella, and Brayden have been loved, embraced, held and fed physically, so one day they will be strong enough to walk just like Zoe (who never intended to knock Kennedy down) and be a part of the group.
It's a joy to watch these babies grow. We adults can't keep our eyes off of them. We've had to watch them fall down, and watch them get up, only to watch them do it all over again. And we've watched them not give up, because they want to go on to maturity. Ahh.........................they want to go on to maturity. They want to roll over. They want to sit up. They want to crawl. They want to walk. And they try and try and try which builds the muscles they need to go on to the next step, they just can't wait to take. Can't we as Christians do the same thing? Rather than quit because the going gets tough, can't we be like these little babies and be tough because we've kept going? So many Christians quit, or succomb, because of trials and temptations when they do not realize that they are the very avenue God uses to build their faith. Going on to maturity means falling down and getting up and falling down and getting up, until we can go on to the next level, which means we will fall down and get up again. Rather than being judgmental when someone falls, wouldn't it be an encouragement to them if we lifted a hand to help them up and gave them permission to fall again, without pointing fingers? Wouldn't that be just helping them "go on to maturity?"
"Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:4
Trajan is a new Christian who is very much so a part of our group. However, if Trajan were 11 and still crawling, being able to run, would it not be wrong of his parents and us, if we allowed him only to crawl? One of the goals in our family group is to build each other up, allowing each other to grow, by using our God-given abilities. David has the gift of singing and it would be wrong of us, not to allow him to sing? Larson has the gift of giving and it would be wrong of us, not to allow him to give? Paul says to the Ephesians:
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowleldge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:11-16
Finally, being able to worship God in the midst of babies crawling and children coming in and out is much like being a Christian in the secular world. We are constantly being distracted, while having to keep our eyes on Jesus. It is unrealistic, I believe, to try to keep distractions, i.e. babies, out of our life. I believe we should be so focused on Jesus during the storm that we can have peace in the midst of it. Peace is not absence of storms, it's calm in the middle of it. I have grappled with the notion of removing the distractions or learning to rise above them. To take away the little children, would be the exact opposite of what Jesus told his disciples to do. "Bring them to me" he said, when the disciples thought they were only a distraction.
By watching Kennedy, Bella, Brayden and Zoe, we can learn much from them. They show us how difficult it is to learn how to walk, when all we do is stumble. They show us how to get up, when all we do is fall down. They show us what it means to forgive when all we do is get knocked down. They teach us to recognize who loves us and where to go to be fed. They teach us that maturity comes from a desire to grow.
And those are lessons we never outgrow the need to hear.... that were taught to me by babies who can't even talk.
Regardless of age, when a person becomes a Christian he comes in a baby. No, not because of ignorance, but because of love. That's how Christians come into the church. God is our first love because He first loved us, way before we loved Him. He wants new converts to be loved, embraced, held and fed. None of the three babies that were on the floor could be left alone, because their maturity level is totally inadequate for the dangers they might face.
"Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away." Luke 8:13
Did not Zoe test the younger babies when she hit Kennedy with the ball? Even though Zoe is little, she still has the ability to walk, while carrying a ball almost as big as she is. Don't we have the ability (those of us who are older in our "walk") to knock someone down, with the wrong word or the wrong spirit or the wrong tone, because we do not consider their "newness in life" and young faith? Isn't it easy to just mow people down with our arrogance, impatience and attitude, not realizing the damage we are doing, but that we do anyway? New Christians, and especially non-Christians, must be loved, embraced, held and fed spiritually, just like Kennedy, Bella, and Brayden have been loved, embraced, held and fed physically, so one day they will be strong enough to walk just like Zoe (who never intended to knock Kennedy down) and be a part of the group.
It's a joy to watch these babies grow. We adults can't keep our eyes off of them. We've had to watch them fall down, and watch them get up, only to watch them do it all over again. And we've watched them not give up, because they want to go on to maturity. Ahh.........................they want to go on to maturity. They want to roll over. They want to sit up. They want to crawl. They want to walk. And they try and try and try which builds the muscles they need to go on to the next step, they just can't wait to take. Can't we as Christians do the same thing? Rather than quit because the going gets tough, can't we be like these little babies and be tough because we've kept going? So many Christians quit, or succomb, because of trials and temptations when they do not realize that they are the very avenue God uses to build their faith. Going on to maturity means falling down and getting up and falling down and getting up, until we can go on to the next level, which means we will fall down and get up again. Rather than being judgmental when someone falls, wouldn't it be an encouragement to them if we lifted a hand to help them up and gave them permission to fall again, without pointing fingers? Wouldn't that be just helping them "go on to maturity?"
"Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:4
Trajan is a new Christian who is very much so a part of our group. However, if Trajan were 11 and still crawling, being able to run, would it not be wrong of his parents and us, if we allowed him only to crawl? One of the goals in our family group is to build each other up, allowing each other to grow, by using our God-given abilities. David has the gift of singing and it would be wrong of us, not to allow him to sing? Larson has the gift of giving and it would be wrong of us, not to allow him to give? Paul says to the Ephesians:
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowleldge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:11-16
Finally, being able to worship God in the midst of babies crawling and children coming in and out is much like being a Christian in the secular world. We are constantly being distracted, while having to keep our eyes on Jesus. It is unrealistic, I believe, to try to keep distractions, i.e. babies, out of our life. I believe we should be so focused on Jesus during the storm that we can have peace in the midst of it. Peace is not absence of storms, it's calm in the middle of it. I have grappled with the notion of removing the distractions or learning to rise above them. To take away the little children, would be the exact opposite of what Jesus told his disciples to do. "Bring them to me" he said, when the disciples thought they were only a distraction.
By watching Kennedy, Bella, Brayden and Zoe, we can learn much from them. They show us how difficult it is to learn how to walk, when all we do is stumble. They show us how to get up, when all we do is fall down. They show us what it means to forgive when all we do is get knocked down. They teach us to recognize who loves us and where to go to be fed. They teach us that maturity comes from a desire to grow.
And those are lessons we never outgrow the need to hear.... that were taught to me by babies who can't even talk.
Comments
Thank you for sharing this post.