Why Children Matter

1.The Childlike Spirit

Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:3

Children were brought to him so that he could lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them' (Matt. 19:13–14).

With these words, Jesus tells us that children are important. And his assertion that the kingdom of God belongs to them is a message we need still today: in our time no less than his, children are often not wanted.

Adults often fail to grasp how near to God children already are. We forget that, as Jesus says, their angels always have access to my Father (Matt. 18:10). Angel means messenger. Guardian angels are spiritual messengers, spirits sent by God to protect and guide children. Unlike these angels, and unlike children, we cannot see God. Yet we can see children, and we can receive them into our hearts. In receiving them, we receive Jesus himself (Luke 9:48).

How do we bring children to Jesus? First of all, we must believe in him ourselves, and come to him with trust and faith. In the New Testament we read how Simeon and Anna – two very old people – waited their whole lives for the Messiah, the consolation of Israel. When Jesus was born, they welcomed the new baby with joy and belief. Now they could face death without fear and could live in peace (Luke 2:25–38).

As a pastor I am often asked to bless newborn babies, and it is one of the most wonderful things I do. Jesus himself says that whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me (Mark 9:37). This attitude of love and faith is what the childlike spirit is all about.

Everyone loves a new baby, but even babies can quickly test our patience and may soon seem to be a burden or inconvenience. But no matter how much trouble they bring, children are gifts from God. When we welcome them in this way, God will surely bless us and give us the strength to raise them. This should be an encouragement to all young families and to those who are thinking of founding a family. Especially when we face adversity, God is waiting to help us, providing we pray and ask, seek and knock (Matt. 7:7–11). Then doors will be opened.

In a time when childlike faith is despised and mocked like never before, we would do well to remember Jesus' words about becoming like children – and his promise that they will be the greatest in the age to come: Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 18:3–4).

For the sake of children everywhere, one wishes that this kingdom might come very soon.

2. Founding a Family

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.

Ephesians 5:31

It is obvious on all fronts that the traditional nuclear family is on the way out. The family as we have known it for centuries has fallen apart, and children are increasingly being raised by grandparents or siblings. Rising divorce rates and growing pressures in the workplace mean that parents are passing on child care responsibilities to relatives.

Assisted reproductive technologies such as artificial insemination can have tragic consequences. Many children do not even know who their real parents are, or how they are related to other children. We seem to have forgotten that the health of society is dependent on the health of its families.

Fathers and mothers should always be the main role models in a child's life. All children long to know the two people who brought them into the world – to love them, and to be loved by them. Sadly, in too many cases, these two people are absent. Thankfully there are still people who believe that the traditional definition of a family is not only workable, but vital for survival. But this can only happen if we return to the simple teachings of Jesus, who taught us to love God and our neighbor as ourselves.

Jesus tells us to judge a tree by its fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. In the same way, a sound marriage can bless thousands of people, whereas a rotten one leaves a trail of devastation behind it.

For a marriage to endure, God must lead a man and woman to each other, and they must want him to hold them together. They must also desire his order, the husband serving his wife as spiritual head, and the wife serving her husband in return. Despite what many people think, such a relationship need not be restrictive or limiting; on the contrary, it is liberating. But it is possible only if Christ himself leads both