Lessons from Children

How is it that children are so naive, innocent and vulnerable but can teach you so much? My kids at work have taught me an unbelievable amount if wisdom. They have taught me how to live in the moment and to be happy in the moment I'm in. They have taught me not to make judgments. They have taught me that if you fall, cry for a little bit and then get up and run. They have taught me to check my attitude. If i come into work and my attitude isn't the best it can be I am always comforted by a precious smile of a little child and i am easily convinced to step out of my world and into theirs. They have taught me to believe, because they believe, they imagine, and in a child's world, nothing is impossible. The ability to believe develops faith.

"What a great gift-- to be able to hold on to this childlike quality, for the ability to believe is a characteristic shared by many artists. Many adults lose the ability to believe; they only see things as they are, not as they could be. It is a great gift to be able to imagine and dream. The ability to believe also leads to the development of faith. Without believing in something you cannot have faith in anything. Without faith there is no hope. Children remind us about the importance of believing.Every day we teach our children something or other. Take time to observe children; what can we learn from them?" -Julie A. Johnson

Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

These are just a few precious precious gifts i have received from the children in my life. I am truly blessed.

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."—Matthew 18:1-6, 10-14

Sync.

I had the privilege to spend last weekend studying the word of the Lord with a group of 9th grade girls and work alongside some AMAZING leaders! This weekend was all about Sync--about what has to happen for us to sync with God. I learned that Godliness is not just the absence of sin but the fullness of God. Colossians 2:9--"For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily." The speaker talked about how we often times don't understand that we have the fullness of God in us and that is why we are not synced. Simple to gain, but difficult to live.

The speaker also spoke on righteousness. Matthew 5:6-" Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." We need to let the righteousness that lives in us live through us.

"We have all become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

We all fade like a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away."

Isaiah 64:6

My prayer was that these girls could begin to see that we don't have everything altogether. That each of us are hurting and we can't do this alone. The girls started off shy and hesitant but as each girl became more and more vulnerable they began to bond. They began to see that the friend that they thought had it altogether was struggling in the same areas they were.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness"- 2 Corinthians 2:9.

These girls let their hurt and insecurities show. They grew as one. I was amazed by the amount of maturity that took place over the weekend.