Not long ago I had the great privilege of putting my three year old granddaughter to bed…we brushed her teeth…well, most of them anyway…., she went potty and then she cozied herself into her bed for a “My Little Pony” story. Well, we read one….and then she asked for another, which I read of course…then she asked for a third…which I promised to read next time, but told her she could sit in bed and look at the book herself before she went to sleep….a fitting way for me to remain a “nice Nonna” yet still see that she was on her way to sleep. I don’t know if it turned out to be a direct path to snoozing or a convoluted maze but you get the picture.
Kids are gifted at receiving. Not only are they willing to receive from us but they often ask for more of us without the slightest reservation. They don’t doubt their worthiness or think we are too busy to give them our undivided attention. I think that maybe that is some of what Jesus meant when He told the disciples they must become like little children to enter into God’s kingdom. I know there is also the matter of a simple acceptance and child-like faith, but how often do we just let Him gather us into His arms, lay His hands on us and bless us as he did the children in the bible story? I read that story this morning and I realized that so often I am counting on God, resting in His strength and knowing His presence but not nearly often enough do I just rest in His arms and know His “blessing”. A blessing is something that makes us aware that we have God’s favor, that He delights in us…that He loves us. When someone says “bless you”, they are praying God’s favor over you. Jesus wanted those children to know how precious they were in God’s sight…just as they were in that moment…just being kids…coming to Jesus without performing, not thinking about the most right way to come, but simply responding to His invitation.
My prayer is that we can be like those children. That we will find the winsome love of Jesus so irresistible that we come to Him to receive His hand of blessing…His love…His favor…just as we are.