Welcome the Children

 

“Let the little children come to me…”

—Matthew 19:14a

Genuine hospitality is listed as one of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. A person to whom God has given this gift has an open heart and an open home. In fact, my dear friend, Karen Burton Mains, wrote a book by that very title dedicated to this subject: Open Heart, Open Home. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it.

But even Christians who have not received this spiritual gift are enjoined by Scripture to practice hospitality within the framework of the open-hearted love that God has given everyone who belongs to Him. So, when we’re faced with an opportunity to show God’s love by reaching out to someone who needs the warmth of human kindness wrapped in God-breathed love, we should cheerfully respond as Christ would respond.

We need to be particularly sensitive to such needs when they come from children. In our current age, children do not always receive the kind of love that we received when we were growing up. I can remember the church where I attended as a child as a warm and inviting place. We talked often about the “Family of God” and actually lived that way. I certainly felt that the adults in that church cared about me in a very inviting and nurturing way.

We should be mindful of the very words of our Savior, as recorded in Matthew 19:14:

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

We need to be aware of the children who cross the pathway of our lives and also remain very open and welcoming to them. They represent precious lives to whom we can extend hospitality. One never knows how a kind word and a smile can make a child feel good about himself or herself.

After all, we are Christ’s ambassadors to people of every age. And, we do well when we share God’s love, especially with children.

 

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