Don't Stop Them


"One day some parents brought their children to Jesus to touch them and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them,'Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.'" Mark 10 13-14

There are moments in our lives where we wish we could get a redo. A little tweak here and there and it would have been a much better experience for everyone. There are other moments however, that move way passed simple regret. These are the memories we beg God to erase. We hope every morning that we'll wake up to find out they were only a bad dream. We didn't really say or do that. It never truly happened, did it? Yet, with soul crushing clarity, we remember it did.

This scene was one of those times for the disciples. I believe this to be true because I've done the same thing. They stood between people and Jesus. They were a roadblock instead of a bridge. The parents of these children got it right. There was and is no greater call upon us parents than to introduce our children to Jesus. Shockingly, the disciples greeted them not with joy and love, but with coldness and rejection. Jesus' rebuke was swift and forceful.    

Is there anything going on in our life today that is hindering people from Jesus? Have we said or done anything in our past we need to confess and ask forgiveness for that lingers like a dark shadow over our lives? When the full weight of what we've said or done collapses us into a broken heap, what do we do? King David pleaded,"Have mercy on me, O God..." And he did. With God's help, let's be a person that does everything possible to help others find that same mercy.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wisdom

"God surely knows where it (wisdom) can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth, under all the heavens. He made the winds blow and determined how much rain should fall. He made the laws of the rain and prepared a path for the lightning. Then, when he had done all this, he saw wisdom and measured it. He established it and examined it thoroughly. And this is what he says to all humanity: 'The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding'"  Job 27:23-28 I had an "incident" with the one cup at a time coffee maker the other day. Apparently, the lid that screws on to the mini coffee filter holder is an important part of the process. Who knew? I thought I could make a stronger cup of coffee without it. All I ended up doing was making a real mess that I cleaned up with giggling coworkers nearby. I believe, however, I am now armed with a little more knowledge and wisdom.  Job was a righteous dude. He was wise and well-res...
Read more

Faith in Christ

" How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort." Galatians 3   As my daughter's team laced up their soccer cleats for the championship game, it wasn't looking good. More than couple of the players, including my daughter, were trying to battle through their injuries. They played an aggressive attacking style that allowed them to make it this far. When the game went to halftime, they were shockingly leading by a goal. Inexplicably, the coach made a decision to stop their attack and fall back into a defensive formation. The result was completely predictable - a heart breaking loss.   The Galatian believers that Paul was writing this letter to were at a crossroads. Paul had shared the wonderful news that Jesus died on the cross for their sins, was buried and was raised to life on the third day. All who believe in him will be made right with God. They received it with great joy....
Read more

Made Right

"But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight--not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done." Romans 3:21-22 "What do I need to do to make this right?" I cannot begin to tell you how many times that I've wished for a customer service representative to ask me this question. Accounting errors, incorrect fees, unannounced pricing changes, wrong orders and the like have resulted in much frustration over the years. How refreshing it would be in those moments to work with someone who wanted me to feel like the wrong was addressed in a satisfactory way. An equally frustrating experience occurs when I am in the wrong and am unable for whatever reason to make things right with someone. Regardless of what side of the coin we may be on, in...
Read more