Matthew 18:1-5
About this time the disciples came to Jesus and asked him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus called a child over and had the child stand near him. Then he said:
I promise you this. If you don’t change and become like a child, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. But if you are as humble as this child, you are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And when you welcome one of these children because of me, you welcome me.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Author Beth Moore talks about her daughters in Feathers from My Nest…how one had a reputation for procrastination – particularly when it came to studying. From time to time, this daughter would “turn over a new leaf” – and make a visit to a local store to purchase another binder and clean notebook paper that signified the next “fresh start” was in action. Moore notes that there is nothing like a clean start… that adults must release children from the burden of past mistakes and allow them to learn and grow from their experiences so that they don’t carry them along as cumulative baggage. She acknowledges that children have to deal with their mistakes…but they must also be allowed to release them. And she notes that we are God’s children…and this is His way with all of us.
Stick with me here. Moore talks about how some adults want to shame children for their mistakes…how this shamed child sometimes seeks God out of a sense of guilt more than a profound desire to be in a relationship with Him. She reminds us that God sent Jesus to take our shame…and that He still does this for us, even today. Moore says of God…”Shame is never His game.”*
Does this describe you? Are you a “shamed child” (both literally and figuratively)? Do you serve God more from a place of guilt and obligation than one of yearning for His presence and care? Have you behaved toward others like a “shaming parent”? Have you judged them and remembered their mistakes? Have you shown the compassion, hope, and encouragement of a “fresh start” with God to those whom you encounter?
Given the opportunity, children seem to have an innate ability to move forward…to leave the past behind and start over each day – if not each hour or minute! But it doesn’t take long for adults to pollute this…to load the child with guilt and shame and a sense of cumulative mistakes and failures. We must be careful to allow children room to make blunders – and to grow and learn from them before they toss them to the curb.
We must also do this with others in our midst. Will we forever remember the mistakes of our friends and neighbors? Will we continue to judge others based on their past? Will we remind them of the actions of their youth – or even adulthood – that were reckless, insensitive…or maybe even illegal? Or will we encourage and nurture a “fresh start” in others…whether these persons have initiated one or still need a gentle nudge in order to do so?
Will we look at others and see them as God sees them...”children” whom He loves with all of His heart? Will we offer them the love, grace, mercy, compassion and encouragement they need in order to respectfully seek God’s guidance and the Kingdom of Heaven? I would assume that this is the treatment we desire in our own lives. Don’t you think it’s time we reciprocated?
©2014 Debbie Robus
*Feathers From My Nest ~©Beth Moore – B & H Publishing, Nashville, TN – All Rights Reserved.
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