Children.....

It’s easy for adults to become impatient with children. They demand so much of our time, make mistakes, drain our finances, are noisy, get dirty, can be disruptive, can’t seem to stay out trouble, need help going to the bathroom, are constantly hungry, and most of all, desire constant attention. Obviously any harried parent could add to this long list of negatives, yet Jesus had important things to say about these little wonders.

When parents brought their young children to Jesus, the disciples rebuked the parents for seemingly wasting the Master’s time and energy. Jesus, however, rebukes His followers, saying, “Suffer the little children to come unto me….for of such is the kingdom of God,” and took them in His arms and blessed them.

During that time, it was unheard of for any prominent teacher or leader to occupy themselves with children as they were not considered to be of any importance. Luckily Jesus changed all that by “valuing” them, which is why we, in the Orthodox Church consider them full members, in every sense of the word, of Christ's Holy Church.

Fr. John