“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not
stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’”
Matthew 19:14, NRSV
I thought about this Bible verse as I sat in church last
Sunday with our youngest grandson on my lap. He’s two. He amazed his
grandfather and me by sitting quietly for most of the service, except for a few
loud whispers. I realized he had been listening to the sermon when our pastor
said something about his own grandmother, and my grandson’s attention shifted
promptly to the pulpit. His attention to the pastoral prayer, however,
astounded us. He attends a preschool at his church as well as church services
there regularly and has been taught to pray. When our pastor said, “Let’s pray,”
he promptly stopped coloring, folded his small hands and bowed his head. We
quickly realized he was repeating the last word of each phrase in the pastoral
prayer, carefully praying along with the pastor. We may have a budding preacher
in the family!
How blessed I am to be able to see my grandkids and to spend
time with them. My prayer is that this grandson will always feel as loved and
comfortable in church as he did last Sunday, and that church will be a refuge
for him throughout his life. He is so innocent, and so full of love. I know the
innocence will fade as he grows older, but I hope not too much. I hope the love
will always remain, for where there is love, you will find the kingdom of
heaven.
Grace and Peace,
Donna
