Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
April 21, 2024
Matthew 18:1-5
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then he called a little child over to sit among the disciples, 3 and said, “I assure you that if you don’t turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will definitely not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Those who humble themselves like this little child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Good Morning! It’s a great day in the morning to praise God!
One of my greatest joys is working with children, but it has also brought me some of my most frustrating moments.
The joys come when you experience something through the eyes of a child. You get to put everything else aside and focus on the awe and wonder. The discovery of a butterfly opening its wings to fly is magnificent through a child’s eyes. Children are not distracted at that moment by the need to rust somewhere to complete their endless to-do list.
Frustrations come when you try to teach them something that they are not yet ready to learn. We, the educated adults, love to create tables and continuums to direct our children's development. The fact is we are not all ready to learn to read at the specified norm, nor are all brains programmed to understand calculus.
The funny thing is that we adults even tell children that they are not yet ready to understand some things. I have seen countless adults direct children to “kid” books and games because they aren’t ready to understand such a complicated subject or idea.
The bottom line is that children have no predisposed parameters as to what they can and cannot understand or learn. They simply see something and sometimes they want to know more, but other times they simply want to allow the awe and wonder to consume them.
We are all happier when we take time to enjoy the awe and wonder of God’s handiwork.
Gracious God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. You have surrounded us by such beauty. Help us slow down and notice it all from the tiniest insect to the highest mountain. We thank you! In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Take time to embrace God’s love!
Embrace your inner child! Pastor Liz