"Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.' When he placed his hands on them, he went from there." -Matthew 19: 13-15
As some of you may know, I absolutely adore children. Even when I was a child, I loved babies (even though I was a baby myself.) I just love their spirit, I love their refreshing outlook of the world, and I especially love how truthful they are. Many people DON'T like children for that reason, but their honesty about every little thing is one of the many reasons I think they are the best. That is just one of the reasons I took my job as a summer camp counselor. I have been working at summer camp for two years. And man has God used this job to open my eyes to so many things!
It's crazy how God uses the least of these to teach you His ways. Being around these 5-8 year olds at camp for 9 hours Monday-Friday has taught me more about Jesus than I ever thought it could. When I read the passage above as well as the passage below, I can now truly understand what Jesus means when He says you have to have the faith that a child has to enter His kingdom. Throughout the summers that I have worked (especially this one), I have watched these children leave their parents (sometimes reluctantly) and come to my arms. As the summer went by and they learned they could trust me, it was beautiful to see them come into camp and sprint over to embrace me. Throughout the summer, they rely on you to keep them safe, to tend to their needs, and to show them love and care. And, as you can see in my pictures, I would never turn down a hug or a hand to hold. As the summer flies by, I love these kids more and more. When these children get hurt, I run to help them. If they get lost, I look anywhere and everywhere to try and find them. When they are crying or upset, I embrace them and hold them until they feel better. I would do anything for these kids and they hold such a special place in my heart.
All the above got me thinking, imagine how much more God loves us! As much as I love these kids, He loves me more. A lot more. We don't even have half the capacity that He does to love. He loves you and I so much, He sent His son to die for us! When we are upset, He embraces us. When we are hurting, He would do anything to help us. One lost person breaks His heart, and He would do anything and everything to pursue them and bring them to Him. And imagine the love and hugs that He gives us! He calls us to rely on Him just as I have seen these children rely on me. Completely, totally, helplessly. We have to realize that some of the things He calls us to do are the best things for us. We may not feel qualified, ready, or like it's the right thing to do, but He has the best plans for each and every person. He sets rules and guides us for our own safety. We may not like it (believe me, my children hated rules), but ultimately the things that He tells us are for our own protection and benefit.
God has truly used the least of these to teach me a lesson on childlike faith. I strive to completely rely on Him, and to completely trust in His perfect plan for me. I want to run to Him when I feel scared, when I'm upset, when I'm hurting, and even when I'm happy just as my kids ran to me. And to my summer camp kids, thank you for teaching me patience, how to handle emergency situations, for making me see that I'm not as different from my parents as I thought (lol), for making my days with your funny and random unexpected antics, and for helping me realize the kind of parent I want to be someday. But most importantly, thank you for loving me and teaching me more about God's relentless, genuine, unending love for me.
"Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” -Luke 18:17
