Then the little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them; and the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But Jesus said, “let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. . Matthew 19:13-15

On a recent Sunday morning before church service began, I was in the foyer welcoming families as they came through the door. I watched one of our younger moms park her car. For several minutes she unbuckled her two children from their car seats and unloaded children, diaper bags, snacks, blankets and assorted   necessities out of the car. It seemed to take quite a while to get to the front door, carrying one child and holding on to her little girl’s hands, all the while balancing the rest of the stuff on her hip and arms.

Both children are very precious, especially to me who sees my own grandchildren too infrequently. The little girl who is three or four years old wore a frilly Sunday dress ( surely a grandma gift! ) and while Mom and brother went inside the sanctuary, she looked for her best friend, also the same age who was nowhere in sight. Undaunted she went straight to the open door of the sanctuary, did a little twirl and announced quite loudly to any and all: “I’M HERE! “ And that was that. Indeed, she was here, all three feet of her.

We oldsters couldn’t help laughing at her spontaneous outburst which was better than most You Tube videos. Was she shouting out for her little girl friend? Or was she simply letting the world  know that she’d arrived,  even to the chagrin of her parents? I don’t know, but I believe God was more than delighted at her entrance.

The child’s exuberance touched me.  In one way I almost envied her carefree.  obvious joy and lack of being self conscious. I can’t remember ever being so uninhibited. Were any of us?

Jesus repeatedly told his followers that they needed to come to Him as little children. His warmth and loving heart attracted everyone, especially the smallest children in the crowd.  He rebuked the disciples when they tried to keep the children away. “Do not hinder them” He admonished. Let them come. The kingdom is for them. Jesus enveloped them   in his arms and blessed them.

When did we stop coming to God like that sweetly enthusiastic 4 year old? I have to ask myself and us, when did we become so grown up that our heads keep our hearts in check? When did our songs of innocence become the dirges of life’s experiences? Do we even remember feeling  uninhibited and abandoned like a child to Jesus? Or has the enemy made us stand ramrod straight, stiff upper lipped before  the Savior , ever the adult  exerting  self control?

Have we  even  gone so far as to believe He  abandoned us at some critical time or other?  He promises never to leave us.  Never. Therefore, because Jesus will never abandon nor forsake us, we are completely  free to abandon ourselves to Him! Life may  batter us  pretty hard but Jesus’ gentle hands heal and bless. No matter how  long  ago we were but four  year olds,  we’re   never  too old to  cry out to Him as loud as possible, “Lord, I’m here. It’s Me!”