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 18:16-17
I must be honest; I have read these words so many times and they have spoken to me on different levels at different moments in my life.
I always related to them and appreciated them because I have a very soft spot in my heart for the children of this world. Maybe, it’s because I can relate to them better than I can to adults sometimes. Little children like cartoons, so do I. Children like ice cream on a hot summer day, so do I. Children like long naps…you see where I am going here.
Do you remember when a day felt like a week? And a summer felt like a year? At exactly what age did that stop?
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalms 90:12
Wisdom to appreciate the small things. Wisdom to notice the important ones. God has blessed me with so many moments to be thankful in a life that often feels like it is flying by. It seems just like yesterday that I was blessed with moments with my children, Jacey and Jocelyne, waking up slowly and coming to hug and snuggle me, while rubbing their eyes and carrying their blankets. I made time to hug, to play, to love, to grow, to teach and to appreciate them both and to see God’s hand throughout the day. I was blessed to see the world through their eyes. The beauty in time. Not time on a clock. But time in a life. Time seemed to move slower then…
Long gone are the days that my kiddos woke up and wanted first thing to snuggle me. They are now experiencing time in their own way in their own lives. As they navigate through graduating from college in the next 6 weeks and march forward into God’s plan and vision for their lives, I pray that some of our time that we spent together snuggling years ago will remain with them. No word Jesus ever spoke has ever returned null or void. Some we tend to just focus on more than others. But I know He was speaking directly to me when He said that the kingdom of God belongs to those who come like little children. Little children see the world more clearly. Little children are a gift from God, and I personally will spend eternity thanking Jesus for every moment, He has allowed me to spend with mine.