Let the Little Children Come to Me
OPENING PRAYER:
Lord, help each of us as we guide our children through their lives to be followers of Jesus. Amen.
“People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.” Mark 10:13-16 NIV
REFLECT:
Throughout her growing up years we had our daughter in Sunday school and church. From early childhood she demonstrated a love for Christ. When she was four years old, we went to a Gospel Light Sunday School workshop. A children’s evangelizing group provided the childcare. The thing we didn’t know was how much pressure they would put on each child to make a decision to follow Christ. Our daughter came away from that evening scared she would not be with Jesus if something happened to her. At this point in her life, she didn’t have the maturity to make that important decision and we assured her that Jesus loved her and wanted her to be with Him.
From that point on we continued to give her every opportunity to grow in her relationship with Him. When she was in second grade, she insisted she wanted to be baptized. We were a little skeptical because she was so young. We prayed about it and asked one of our pastors to meet with her to see if he felt she was ready to make this important step. After talking with her for a long time the pastor came away feeling that she really understood her decision.
On the day she was baptized her cousin, Cathie, was there with a Gospel Team from Manhattan Christian College. Cathie took the microphone and said, “You may think this little girl is too young to be baptized, but I know her heart”. Our daughter has never questioned or doubted her decision. She is now serving the Lord in a variety of situations as an adult.
APPLY:
It’s a difficult decision for a parent to know if a child is mature enough to make the life changing decision to be baptized. We didn’t want our daughter to regret it later in life, but we didn’t want to interfere with her doing what she felt she should. Therefore, we went with a third party, our pastor in this situation, to give us an independent observation. None of us want to hinder a child turning to the Lord,
but it is important to allow them to make their independent decision if they are ready.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Lord help us trust in you with all our heart; and to not lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) as we direct our children’s path to maturity in their faith in You. Amen.