Our Children; All of God's Creation

Our Children; All of God’s Creation

Jesus said to his disciples when they rebuked the people for bringing their children to him; “Let the children come to me and do not prevent them;  for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”  (Lk 18: 16  - 17).  There is more to this scripture than just children alone, but the attitude of adults must parallel that of a child who does not question authority and seek pleasures away for adherence to their own position in life.  If we would take on the simplicity of the manner a child has, there would not be so much violence, hatred, looking down on others because of their race, nationality, and beliefs that are different from someone else.  

Growing up, back in the 1940’s, when a child came to school from another area, we welcomed them because we were open to meeting new kids.  We were all the same, enjoying each other and playing together.  Politics, religion, and international aspects of what was outside of us had no place in our world.  After school most boys pretended to be the heroes of the day; space men, cowboys, or policemen.  Nobody got hurt, and everyone wanted to be Capt. Marvel, Superman, or Roy Rogers.   The girls also had their own models to look up to and there was very little jealousy, and the dolls of that era were the heroines of the day.

Of course, Jesus appeared to men since they had the ability to absorb his words and were easily led by his promotion to hear about his Father and the forgotten teaching of the Old Testament.  They quickly understood the meaning of suffering, evangelizing, and humility.  The essence of the Pharisees' rejection of Jesus' teaching more than supported the new way of God’s plan to redeem us by the Incarnation of Christ.  Here is where we, as adults, can understand the manner of childlike understanding through trust and faith in something greater than our selfish quest for admiration which lacked the existence of the Messiah.

Teachers spend many hours in study within their chosen field, and attempt to bring that knowledge to their students.  Jesus came to teach the ways of heaven, his Father’s forgiveness, and the example of what true love is about when he stretched out his arms on the cross indicating; “This is how much I love you.”   Even here, many would not believe.  Yet, the final chapter of the message Jesus brought as a diploma of learning became the Sunday morning the Christ appeared to his disciples; alive, freed from death, and the fulfillment of the resurrection each of us will experience.  

“Become like children, absorbing all that Christ promised via his resurrection and ascension, and sending the Holy Spirit to complete our journey as true disciples!

Ralph B, Hathaway