“Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.” Matthew 19:13-15
This verse has been at the front of my mind all month. Probably partly due to all of the kids I see running around every day. But I also think God has used this verse for me to choose to love these little ones day in and day out and see them how He sees them.
Teaching is exhausting and when I get a break sometimes I just want to rest and be alone. But then some cuties show up at our door, and I hear them say “Teacha, Hello Teacha”, and I can’t help but respond. Sometimes my response is just a “Hello” back, and sometimes I’ll pull myself out of bed and go play or draw on their little hands. I can’t help it, there’s just something about them that wills me to go play. There’s something about their courage to come up and stand in our doorway and at our window that attracts me.
A few days ago I was having a rare moment alone swinging in a hammock. I was enjoying the silence and scenery when four little ones come running down the path. I knew they were coming for me. A part of me was disappointed knowing my peace was about to be interrupted so I thought that maybe if I didn’t respond they’d walk away. But they didn’t just stop in front of me and say hi, they proceeded to crawl, uninvited, up into the hammock with me…all four of them. What followed became some of my favorite memories on the race so far.
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That’s how I see how we should be with Jesus. Courageous and abandoned. We don’t think twice about whether or not He’d want us in the hammock with Him, we just climb on in. We’re carefree and we’re just asking for His love. Unlike me however, Jesus invited and welcomed the children any time they came to Him. And He didn’t just give them a quick high-five and walk on, He took His time to pray for them and bless them. I’d like to think that Jesus experienced the same joy I experienced once the kids got in the hammock with me. I bet He never regretted giving time to them, and I can say that I do not regret giving up my alone time for these little ones.
Around the time that I was thinking about writing this blog, one of my teammates had “Love Does” by Bob Goff open on the table. The page he was on had this quote, and it fits so perfectly. It says, “I used to think I needed an invitation to get into most places, but now I know I’m already invited.”-Bob Goff. Do you know that you are already invited to be with Jesus? He wants you to come. Just like the little children, don’t think twice about climbing up in His lap. Like I said, He WANTS you there.
