MORE THAN ONE KIND
“And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.”
Mark 10: 13 - 16
King James Version
I have to be honest with you and tell you that I do not want to write this devotion because it is very painful for me to write it. It brings back memories about things that happened to some friends of mine when I was young. However, Jesus told me to write it and above everything else in my life, I want to make Jesus happy. I know that when I am obedient to write what He inspires me to write that it makes Him happy so I am writing it.
As you read this devotion, I ask that you would pray for me as tears are in my eyes and in my heart as I am writing this. I am reading a story about a little boy that has been burned with cigarettes and it is making me very nauseous. When I was younger, I knew someone who had been burned with cigarettes when he was a little boy. The horror, the pain and the agony that I saw in this boy’s face as he told me about his dad burning him when he was just a little boy at home, is forever etched in my heart.
As heartbreaking and tragic as this story is about this little boy, there is more than one kind of abuse that children are subjected to every day. There are some children who are being ridiculed, rejected, cursed and told that they are no good and will never amount to anything by their own parents in their houses. You noticed that I did not say “in their homes”. The reason why I didn’t say “in their homes” is because a home is where love is and a house is a building you live in. These precious children, who Jesus loves dearly, are being mistreated and abused physically, emotionally and spiritually and they are living in houses that are filled with hatred and violence.
In our scripture reference today, Jesus not only was displeased because they tried to keep the young children from Him, He was much displeased! Jesus loves our children more than we could ever love them and He is very protective of them. When our children get involved in things that hurt Him, just as He is faithful to forgive us when we do things that displease Him, so He forgives our children and brings them back to Him.
There are some parents who have been praying for years for their children and sometimes it seems like their prayers are not being heard, let alone answered. God hears our prayers unless we have sin in our hearts. We must be sure that there is nothing in our hearts that displeases and hurts God before we ask Him for anything.
It is very arrogant of us to ask Him to do something for us if we have not asked Him to search our hearts and remove anything that is hindering our relationship with Him. Also, God is not a name it and claim it God. He is a Holy God and we need to go to Him with a humble attitude and give Him the respect that He deserves.
If you have pain in your heart today because of the way you were treated when you were a child, tell Jesus. He knows about it but He wants you to tell Him how you are feeling. He understands how it feels to be rejected, criticized, abused and tortured. He has felt all the pain that you feel so He can really relate to your pain and hurt. Allow Him to kiss away your tears with His compassionate unconditional love.
Joanne Lowe
January 8, 2008
