I met a woman this past week in the Philippines, whose husband left her with a year-old baby. She is 21 years old, she has a 6th grade education. She is able to help support her family bcause she makes bracelets with the ministry we're with this month, "Threads of Hope". As she told me about her life her child coo'ed and fussed. She relayed her story, cried and kissed her baby.
She became a Christian less than a year ago. She asked me to read her something from the Bible. As I kept searching for something appropriate to her situation my Bible kept turning to the passage in Luke 18 where Jesus blesses the children.
At this point her son was playing on the ground and began to cry. She ran to him and scooped him into her arms. I said "the same way you run to your son when he cries out, God runs to you when you cry out to Him."
She said "bless my child." In Filippino culture an older person is able to bestow a blessing on a younger person. The younger person holds the elders hands and places the hands against their own forehead. The baby took my hands in his little tiny ones and placed my hands against his forehead. My heart spoke, "Blessed by Jesus; blessed to be a blessing.'
I want my heart to reach out for Jesus the way that child reached for my hands. I want to come to Jesus like a child,and receive the blessing a child receives – the kingdom of God and the presence of God.
People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “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.” Luke 18:15-17
