I Love Children

God continues to bless the world with CHILDREN. God blessed Evelyn and me with four precious children: three sons and a daughter. Then, God blessed us with 14 grandchildren and one great grandchild--so far!!! We love all of our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Children are at the VERY HEART of God's church. Any time a church stops having a continual flow of children, soon that church will die.

It is certainly true that there is a good reason why God gave parents for children. All children needs good parents. Passages like Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21 instruct parents about their responsibilities for raising their children in God's ways.

But NEVER overlook the value and importance of CHILDREN. I want to be with and around children daily. Here are some of my reasons.

1. Children TEACH me every day that I forgot or I have not yet realized. In very simple words and actions, a child can teach me volumes in a moment.

2. Children ARE HONEST. As we get older, we tend to "hide" our own feelings and the realities of life. Children just come right out and say the truth. This is so refreshing. Hypocrisy and pretension are not really helpful or good in the long run.

3. Children FORGIVE sinners. If you are a parent, are you a sinner? I have to confess that often I did not do the right thing as my children were growing up. At that time, I was trying to do the right thing, but now, as I look back, I know how wrong I often was. BUT, children whom I wronged quickly FORGAVE my wrongs. I am so grateful.

4. Children are OPTIMISTIC. Our "adult society and family and world" go from day to day moaning about how terrible the economy or our friends or the church or next door neighbors or politics or the legal system are. Children are "oblivious" to all of these "serious" things which we carry on our frowns and scowls. Children are happy and optimistic. They EVEN are convinced that THEY HAVE A FUTURE. I think our children are right. They have a much better outlook of life than most of us do. After all, it may very well be that GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL.

5. Children are HILARIOUS. Children say or do the funniest things AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME. They crack me up. How refreshing to experience a new idea or twist on life I never had realized. I will never forget when one of my granddaughters first saw the Grand Canyon. She looked around to all of us in the family, and said: "I didn't know the world was so big."

Yes, Yes, Yes. I love people of all ages. But CHILDREN turn my crank every day. I love to get up every morning, hoping and praying that I can spend just one moment with a little child.

And, OH, by the way, didn't Jesus say one time:

"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will NEVER enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3-4).

I would love to have your stories about children.

John Willis