Everything is a “must” when I don’t feel loved. Everything feels like a
chore when I didn’t have enough time with God and I don’t feel like His little
Princess anymore. Do you have mornings where everything seems like drudgery? Do
you labor and toil on your list of chores, but get very little done by the end
of the day? Days like that leave me very unsatisfied and somewhat stressed out
and it must have been on a day like that, that I’ve decided that adulthood seems
a little overrated. Don't get me wrong, I like the liberties that come with being "grown up", but there is a price we seem to pay. So just bear with me for a moment.
A while ago, during a bible study, I discovered that Jesus loves
children. It says so in the bible and from what I have read, it seemed to me that
He loves them especially. Naturally,
being a mom and not a child, I wondered: But does He love adults too? If you were a
seasoned Christian you’d probably say - of course! But I am not a seasoned
Christian quite yet, so I focused on His special heart
for children and that He seems to want us to be like them.
“Then
he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and
become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Matthew 18:3 (NLT)
That sounded a bit harsh and it made me think about why Jesus loves
children. What do the children do that He likes so much? I decided to
ask the children in my bible class and here are some of the answers we came up
with during class:
"Children play, they have fun and they laugh a lot. They learn pretty
much all day long. When children fight, they most often make up and the next
day they don’t worry about that fight anymore. Actually, they don’t worry about
many things at all. Most children also have no troubles at all to believe in and respect God, much like they
respect their teacher. Children help each other when help is needed and most
importantly they pray. But how do
they pray? They don’t only pray on their knees, they talk to God throughout the
day, in various imaginary games, such as “teacher-teacher” or when the boys wrestle
their cushion at home."
I wondered. How many of these things do I still do? May I ask? How many
of these things do you still do? Do
you give yourself time to play and have fun? Do you still laugh? Are you still
willing to learn all day long? Learn to be a better mother? Learn to be a good
friend? Learn from our most incredible example, our “most bestest” teacher ever
– Jesus? Do you talk to God all daylong or just when you need Him to help you
out?
If the answer paints a little bit of a grim picture, please do not feel
condemned or in the slightest bit accused. That is not what I want you to think
or feel. What I want you to do though, is to remember. What was it like to be a
child? What was your life like without all the unnecessary things? Things we
should not really be worrying about. Things we cannot change anyway. Things
that use up our energy and give nothing back.
This very moment I am picturing myself sitting next to you, trying to
remember my carefree childhood days also, and sitting next to you I would
whisper to you, “Jesus does have a special heart for children including YOU and
me!” In that special moment I would love nothing more than for you and me to
understand, that perhaps, in that Scripture, He was giving us permission to be
a little less “adult” and a bit more “childlike” instead.
In many of my posts I have tried to encourage you to spend more time with
God. Having a “quiet time” is what we usually call it. I don’t mean to treat
the term frivolously, but it does sound rather boring at first, especially to a
new Believer who doesn’t know what to do. If you are such a new Believer,
remember what I just whispered…"Jesus loves the child in you especially!" If you
are not in the mood for some serious bible research today, but you would like
to hear from God in some other way, perhaps it is time to re-invent that game.
That “teacher-teacher” game we played so often "way back when", but on a very personal
level, alone with God.
But this time you don’t need to assemble your entire household of
teddy bears, like my 9 year old daughter usually does, and teach them math. What you
could do, however, in the very same way, is make yourself a cup of tea, sit down and
simply say, ”Lord, I am here. I am listening. You be the teacher.”
It might feel odd the first time. But I have tried. Trust me, when I
say, that after a few awkward beginnings, I have had the most wonderful
playtimes with God!
“Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell
you marvellous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your
own.” Jeremiah 33:3 (MSG)
That promise, I can testify, is so true! He is waiting for you mom. He’s ready
for you to play. Are you ready? Are you willing to give Him some time today? Are you
at least curious enough to try it out? When you do, I wish you a wonderful “teacher-teacher”
time!
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| Picture courtesy of www.morguefile.com |
