Do You Hear What These Kids Are Saying?

This was a question I asked myself after Saturday night. I had the honour and privilege to spend the evening with my good friend and his three kids ~ two boys aged six and eight and a little darling of a girl aged two.

I had originally volunteered to babysit and when I got there, plans changed (for the better as it happened) and we had some dinner with kids and played and watched a movie. As time passed we approached bedtime for the boys and they didn’t want to say good night to me from the lounge but instead, asked if I could go upstairs, as they got ready for bed.

So the four of us went and we talked and eventually they were asked if they wanted to pray. Matt, the elder of the two said he would pray first but needed a minute to think.  As he prayed, my heart melted inside me and I was brought to tears, as was my friend. Although such a normal sounding prayer, it was the simplicity and sincerity of him that literally broke us both.

His prayer was, “Jesus help us to know you better and that we could see just one time while on this earth.”

The words pierced me deeply and made me realise that sometimes as teachers, we can be too caught up in helping our kids become great men and women in the kingdom who will go on to do such great things for the King of Kings that we have missed completely who they are today! I truly believe we have such a powerful generation of kids in our midst with such power, compassion, authority and hunger that we need to embrace them fully. This is what I found my hearts prayer to be this week. I do not need to focus on what these kids will become and what they walk into because we have a loving who wants only the best for them anyway [Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”] As well as this, He has already laid their armour and tools in the places where they will need them. So with this taken care of, let us help them be who they are now completely!

So as the disciples asked Jesus as in the bible, [Matthew 21.16 “"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?"] Let us stop for a minute or two and hear what our kids are saying now. We may find ourselves being impacted more than we ever thought we could!