One of my favorite passages in Scripture is Mark 10:13-16.
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. (NIV)
I love the paradox: Jesus tells His disciples, “you need to grow up and be more like these children. You need to be tender hearted like these children. You need to be transparent like these children. You need to be dependent on your (heavenly) father, just like these children are dependent on you.”
Children mean the world to Jesus, so much so that He was happy to pass on time with adults to bless some kids. And that’s why children mean the world to us at Mandarin. Thank God for spills on the carpet. Thank God when Teen Room noise can be heard in the Fellowship Hall. Thank God for cries during communion. Thank God for scuffs on the walls. These are evidence of life in this place!
As our children get ready to return to school, let’s make sure every Mandarin child knows that he/she is unconditionally loved by God and unconditionally loved by us. Jesus loved child interruptions. How about you?
-Mike Johnson
Don’t forget to ‘Take 5’