Mark 10:15 I assure you: Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.
Do I accept God's kingdom with the faith of a child? Do I have the child like innocence of faith, to not even consider that someone may be offended by my words? Which is more important, being politically correct, or maybe being the only person to ever tell someone about Jesus?
Romans 10:14 But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?
A little bit later in the day, she drew this picture on my whiteboard...
As I looked at her artwork, I began to wonder "Are these the things floating around in her mind?" Praise God! Proverbs 22:6 reads "Teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." How much more effective would I be if these were the thoughts in my head as a youth? How much stronger would my faith be? How much more fearless for Christ could I be?
I am so thankful that God chose to use a whiteboard and a little girl to get me to search my heart.
I pray that all of our children will be as filled with the Holy Spirit. I pray that God will use them to further His kingdom, and that they will be a blessing to Him. Please pray for me to be better parent, for God to grant me the wisdom to raise His wonderful creations in a manner that pleases Him.
This is another reason Cindy and I are adopting. Not only can we provide a loving home to an abandoned child, but even greater than that... We can teach them about Jesus! And one day, that child will tell a stranger "Jesus Loves You". One day, that child may be able to teach a life lesson to an adult with a Bible verse, and a whiteboard.
2 comments:
Grandpa G is extremely proud of Caitlin. A parent or grandparent should never underestimate the amount, and type of information a child is absorbing from the people and world around her or him. As George notes your example, if you are a Christian, might be the only image of God and Jesus Christ an individual or your child might receive. The Apostle Paul said "we are a book to be read of all men."
What influence do people receive when they read your or my life?
Whenever Caitlin, Mark, Elizabeth or John visit with us, the consistent comment we receive from friends is, "What well behaved and polite children." They stand out from the all too many rude and disrespectful children of today's society. Thanks be to God for Christian parents. Margaret and I our pleased to be Jones Clan grandparents.
Great post. With my older kids, I was so into making them brilliant, that I didn't teach God's word as much as I should have. With my younger kids, they have already heard me say many times, "I don't care if the don't know ALgebra, they WILL know God's word"
(and yes Algebra is important, but you get the idea)
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