(pictures are the kids that have made a difference in my life! Hold the mouse over the picture to get a description! enjoy)

Ever sit down and wonder what life would be like without children?  What if everyone just happened upon this earth as an adult and the only thing that that happened as we got old was grey hair and wrinkles?  Would there be a point to life or to marriage?  Without childhood, there would be no innocence, no memories, no dreams, or fears, no joy, no laughter, no late nights, no jammies, no bedtime stories, and no real love.  I'm convinced that the most important years of life are woven in the first stage of life commonly know as childhood.  Yes, the crying and the screaming, the nagging and the messy.  Yes, the dirty diapers and dirty clothes, the "I want this" and the "give me that."  Like memories, which we adequately discussed last month, kids are special and important!  Why? Whether it is a tiny newborn sleeping in the arms of a mother or a little four year old bouncing off walls and reading imaginary story books, there is a lot to observe and reflect on with children.  So, let's lets talk about kids!  You may not agree with me or even like kids, but that's okay!  I hope to convince you how special and important kids are in the world of living! There is something about children we are all a part of--our past, our memories.  Right?  Let's begin.  

I want to start with my own passion for little children.  Why do I value childhood?  Children are another one of those things God has designed me to love and cherish.  Every time I hold a little baby, or take a group of hyper kids to McDonalds, I feel and experience a passion for life!  Sure, there is an unavoidable clash with the human/sin nature--but that's in all of us.   I look past that, seeing in a little person a simple knowledge of the world they live in.  I see humility--they don't have confidence in and of themselves, they don't even know how to feed themselves, and they don't even know they are being humble, they just are.  I see faith--a faith so talked about yet so avoided, a simple trust in the "bigger things" of life, without doubting, without asking why.  I see love--the mother has a love so pure for the child, the child in return knows love in the most intimate way, living a life dependant on love.  Lastly, I see satisfaction--not in circumstances (obviously young children are never not-hungry) but in who they are, not wishing life away and wondering why they aren't someone they can't be.  

I remember the first time I got to hold a true newborn.  I couldn't believe how tiny she was.  Yet, she was a human, a precious gift of life.  She would grow up learning to crawl, learning to say "ma" and "da."  She would eventually eat big people food, learn to walk, say "no," hold a crayon, complete a sentence, go to kindergarten, learn the alphabet, understand who God is, make friends, think boys have cooties, meet her first crush, think boys have cooties again, and simply learn how to live in the world we all know so well.  So what?  Why does that matter?  The word learn is a special word.  It simply means, "to acquire knowledge."  From birth to this point in my life, I have not stopped learning.  Just as this newborn will never stop learning while she is on earth, we too will always be learning.  It's part of living, we all have that in common.  As we get older, however, we become set in our ways--and that learning thing becomes harder.  As a child, learning is fundamental and easy.  A child will learn to comprehend a human language, even more than one.  A child will learn how to act, how to react, and how to think.  A child will imitate.  A child will ask simple questions.  This is the fundamental reason why childhood is so crucial.  

How does that affect us big people?  We may still learn, but we've adapted a bigger role in life over the years--that is, teaching.  We teach, we model, we instruct, and we correct.  When we are around children, we have influence.  Isn't that scary?  It shouldn't be.  We have the opportunity to help a child grow.  By teaching a child  how to skip a rock across a pond, how to tie his shoe, how to braid her dolly's hair, how to put makeup on, or even who Jesus is, we are investing in a life.  Even though children can be annoying, they are still children in need of heroes.   You may not like kids because they cry or involve too much work.  Let me encourage you, children never outgrow the annoying stage!  Want to know how I know that?  I'm still annoying and so are you.  It's human nature; it's not just kids who scream and complain.  Each one of us still posses the ability to be annoying, although the appearance has changed around a bit.  So, if you look past the mess they make and the sounds they discover, children are a special responsibility.  

Ask your mom or dad.  I did.  I probably get my love for children from my mom and dad.  Together, they made children a number one priority in their lives.  Whether it was raising my sisters and me, or teaching children or babysitting them, they will tell anyone how important children are--especially as parents.  "It forces you into a position of responsibility," my dad, Rich, says, "the greatest kind of responsibility, where you're responsible for the life of a child."  My mom describes children as a reflection of "who you are because children imitate what they see in you." Wow, only a scratch in the surface, but I hope you can see two examples of how important children are in life!  

But that's how we view children.  What about how God views children.  I mean, He's the ultimate right? 

God's Passion for Children
Think about it for a while.  This is more than a powerful object lesson.  It's the heart of God.  "Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming ME!"  As big people, I'm afraid we forget how valuable children are in God's eyes.  We forget how to be kids.  We get so caught up in the professionalism of today--the battle to be #1, being powerful, looking good, etc.--we see humbling ourselves like a child as negative, as disadvantageous.   How wrong!  Jesus later said in Matthew 19:14, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these."  Again, Jesus likens this whole kingdom thing to children.  It's recorded in Mark and Luke.  Throughout the majority of the New Testament, we find several references of Christians, God's people, as children.  Imagine, in God's eyes, WE, those who have accepted God's gift of life through faith, are His CHILDREN. 

Obviously we are God's Children.  But, what does this mean?  We are considered a child of God!  How special and true!  Why are children so important?  They teach us about us!  I can see John's joy in writing, "he allows us to be called His Children, and we really are!"  Here's John, the beloved of Jesus himself, having so much to be proud of, yet concedes it all to be called a "Child of God."  That's not all, it's only the beginning.  Take a look for yourself.  We are called not just children, but  

If God sees us as children, and commands us to pursue Himself as little children in Ephesians 5:1, do you think God has a passion for children?  I think so.  The concept of being dependent on a father and mother to live is captivating.  As God's children, we are dependent on His care to live.  We need the nourishment He gives us, we need the time we spend with Him, and we need His love most of all.  What does our Father do when we cry, throw tantrums, complain, hurt our brothers and sisters, make messes of ourselves, and simply choose to be stubborn?  He loves us and corrects us as children (Hebrews 12:5-11).  He puts up with us as He shapes us into the men and women He's called us to be.  After all, He predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus.  He will always be faithful and will complete the work that He has started in us until it is finished (Philippians 1:6).   Maybe you don't understand.  Maybe you haven't become a child of God?  It's like being born on earth to earthy parents, the Bible teaches us in John 3:3 that "unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God."  Born again?  It's putting your faith in Christ as your substitute on the cross for the penalty of sin.  Each child born into the world is guilty of sin, deserving God's wrath.  (Romans 3:23, 6:23).  This explains why children are the way they are, demanding of so much, selfish, and sinful.  But God, who is rich in mercy, sent us His son. "For God so loved the world, that whosoever believes on Him, should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16)  Christ didn't have the problem of sin, He was perfect.  He came to earth to die.  But He didn't stay dead.  He rose again, like He said He would!  (1 Corinthians 15:4) This is why He can save us!  What about sin?  1 John 1:9 reminds us that "if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong."  The object of our salvation is not found in you or me.  It's found in Christ alone.  Trust Him.  Be Born again.  Not of flesh and blood, but "of the Spirit."  And you too, can rejoice knowing that you are called a "child of God."  

Conclusion
Why are children so special and important?  They teach us about us.  I'm not a parent yet, but I look forward to the day I get to raise children.  Why?  I get to pour my life out into my son or daughter.  Whether I like it or not, they're going to teach me a lot about me.  They'll imitate their mom and I.  Being a father or mother probably isn't easy, but I doubt you'll find someone who thinks it isn't rewarding.  Take my mom for example.  She has spent the majority of her life with children.  Ever since she was young, she has always wanted to be a mom and work with children.  Not only did she raise my sisters and me, but she gave of her time and energy babysitting or working with toddlers at church.  If anyone would know firsthand the rewards of child care, it's Susan.  The rewards?  "Laughter," she told me.  "Children laugh so freely, you can't help but laugh, it brightens your day!" Children fuel us with passion.  They teach us how to live.  My mom told me what she learned.   For one, "to be accepting of people.  Children are so accepting of people, no matter who they are.  They love you for who you are."  Not only accepting people, but forgiveness too.  "Children are also very forgiving, very quick to forgive, " she added, "if we could all be like children, we'd have a kinder world."  Think about it.  We be like children.  She didn't say be children, but like them. Accepting of people, no matter how weird or different they are.  Possessing simple faith, accepting things so easily.  Being care-free, quick to laugh.  Being satisfied in small things, like food, cleanliness, toys, and best of all, love.  As you can clearly conclude, children are special and important.  I don't have to say much.  Looking at pictures is enough for me.  However, if I could persuade you to find value in children, be assured I've only broken the surface.  Look for yourself.  Look around you.  Look behind you.  We were once children.  Remember how much fun it was?  Nothing has changed but the number of years.  Get to know children again. They are worth it.  Don't just take my word for it, prove me wrong.  

There's one more thing.  The most important thing dealing with children.  My mom and dad taught me this and I will never forget it.  If you are already a parent, let this be a challenge to you.  If you hope to be a parent one day, listen to me.  I've spent the last twenty minutes of your time portraying to you how special and important children are.  If you believe that, then cherish children.  Love children.  If you love children, then you will spend time with children.  The more you love, the more time you will spend. My mom, Susan, said, "it helps the child to feel secure in the love the parents have for them. It gives them confidence in who they are as a person, and makes a child feel they can talk to their parent." The most crucial reason why it is so important for a parent to spend time with their children is "it makes a child feel they are important." I've been around young children enough to see for myself the damaging effects of parents not spending quality time cultivating and nourishing a love-relationship with their children.  Want an explanation for why a child is the way they are?  Look at the conditions in the home.  Want an explanation for ADD, self-esteem problems, self-image problems, creativity problems, and others? It might not be the complete answer, but I'm afraid it has a lot to do with it, more than most people are willing to admit.  You can't influence everything, but you can try. It's not spending an hour with them after work because you have to, it's spending and desiring time with them because you love them.  If you will spend time talking to a child, from the womb until you give the child away in marriage, you will not regret it, nor will the child.  As a child myself, I can tell you, I will never regret the time my parents spent with me.  I am thankful that my dad fulfilled his role as a father, teaching me the most valuable lessons in life.  I am thankful that my mom was truly a mom, staying home to raise me, tucking me in at night, and being home to love me.  I'm not saying that mom's can't work.  Most will have to, to support the family.  What I am saying is that the responsibility then will becomes greater.  Please, be committed to raising children.  Even though it sounds weird, simply talk to your children, especially when they are in the womb.  Love children.  Selflessly love children.  The rewards are worth it.  Do the best you can and trust God--He will not fail you. 

Related Articles:
Memories of Childhood

questions, comments? e-mail me: timbenedict3@juno.com

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