When Jesus was on earth “people were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Luke 18:15-16

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. If anyone causes one of these little ones–those who believe in me–to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!” Matthew 18: 1-7

There is nothing more precious to God than a child!  They are His precious jewels and we need to protect them and nurture them!  The future of our world depends on them!

For ten years I had the great privilege of teaching little children about Jesus and they have helped me to understand the meaning of unconditional trust and kindness.

Children are so naturally trusting and kind providing they have not been abused and they are being raised properly. Unfortunately there are too many people abusing children and the results to society are devastating taking the form of psychological disorders and ongoing forms of violence.

I remember years ago reading about a young woman who was raped and killed in my community. The headline in the newspaper were the amazing words of the parents of the young woman “We forgive him!” The parents were Christian and they told the reporter that in spite of their pain, they would forgive the young man who killed their precious daughter. The life story of the rapist was ultimately revealed. The newspapers reported that he had been horribly sexually abused as a child. In fact, community social services professionals said that it was one of the most horrible cases of sexual abuse they had ever seen. Woe to people who hurt little children! Would this man have become a rapist and a killer if he had not been first abused?

This very day, please stop and pray for the little children in the world who want to live and love and laugh and play and learn.

I have never known the pain of having my children tell me “mommy I am hungry” and not having food to give them. Yet in how many places in the world children die of hunger and preventable disease. Imagine looking into their beautiful, hopeful eyes when they are telling you “I am hungry” and not knowing how to satisfy this basic need.

In too many parts of the world children do not go to school because they can’t afford the fees. How tragic that as a global community we have not been able to provide education for all! There are many charities that are stepping in to help fund the building of schools, the training of teachers, funding school fees, educational supplies, uniforms etc. Let’s help them!

How tragic it is that corporations exploit little children by making them work when they should be playing. Woe to businesses that lower their cost of goods by choosing to use child labour!

I met a little boy many years ago at a Charity event for children with special needs. His name was Christian. Christian was adopted by a very special woman and he was a very special child. His biological mother had taken drugs while she was pregnant and Christian was born blind. When I met him he was about four years old and he could not see, he could not talk and he could not walk. His mother let me hold him and as I took him into my arms he began to kiss me. He was being kissed by his mother and he had learned to kiss! He snuggled close to my heart and this very day I am praying for him.  May Our Holy Lord bless Him and help Him!

Children learn what we teach them and Jesus wants us to teach them about Him. Jesus holds all of us (children young and old) close to His heart and He never wants to let us go. He wants us to become like little children, giving Him our hand knowing that He will always protect us and guide us.

The humility of little children is something we all need to work to achieve. It is easy to become deluded into believing that we have all that we need to succeed. Without Jesus we have nothing!

Children naturally depend on their parents. They trust in them to protect them, to teach them, to love them and to provide for them. And that’s what God wants from us. He wants us to look up to Him and learn from Him, believing in His infinite kindness and in His great wisdom helping to form us into people of dignity, people of compassion and kindness that will pursue peace and justice.

Let us do all that we can to help our children in need. Maybe God needs you to volunteer some time to help children in your community. Maybe you can sponsor a child in the developing world so they can go to school and be well nourished. And all of us can pray that our children be protected, safe from violence, free from abuse so that they can live up to their potential. Let us pray especially for the protection of children in war zones.  May the mercy of Our Holy Lord be upon them and their families, bringing peace and healing and an end to violence.

Let us pray…

Holy Lord you died to redeem us so that we could become children of God. Help us Holy One to save the little children from pain and suffering. When I read the tragic stories of children who have been abused or are living through wars, my heart hurts. Please heal the children Lord and the adults who were victims of child abuse. Please have mercy on people like the man who raped and killed who was first a victim of violence. Help us Jesus to become humble like little children, ready to forgive and forget, ready to embrace you with trust and hope for Your love is everlasting and we need You so much!

“This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” 1 John 3:10-11

Please join The Mercy Movement, a prayer movement calling all Christians to stop and pray and remember the Passion of Christ, at the Time Jesus died for us, 3pm.  Let us unite in prayer daily, trusting in the infinite mercy of Our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Jesus will answer our prayers!