Ahead of His Time

"Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me" (Mark 9:37a).

I could hear my youngest son preaching to his older brother and sister in the living room. Earnestly, he was telling them to behave and stop fighting. However, like a bucket of water on a raging forest fire, his words had no effect. Frustrated, he tried again to get their attention, quoting Bible verses that said why they shouldn't be arguing. His strong leadership qualities (his siblings called them "being bossy") and sense of right and wrong would not allow him to walk away from the problem. Unfortunately, because he was their "little brother," both his brother and sister refused to listen to his counsel.

Being young has its disadvantages when witnessing to those who are older. The apostle Paul warned young Timothy of the challenges in 1 Timothy 4:12, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." Mistakenly, older Christians tend to think they have a market on spiritual understanding and wisdom. Although experience does give older Christians an edge, it is often the passionate drive of youthfulness that keeps a body of believers vibrant and alive.

What about you? Do you fail to listen to your children's faith in God and consider it immature? As a homeschooling parent, you may think you have all the answers concerning spiritual matters, but you don't. If you humble yourself to learn from your children's faith, you will see again how the Lord wants you to approach Him with your own worship — intense, passionate, and full of hopeful enthusiasm and praise! "And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:2-3).

Father, forgive me when I become a stumbling block to my children's faith. Help me to follow their example and freely give You all my love and praise. In Jesus' name, Amen.