13 Then little children were brought to him for him to lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” – Matthew 19:13-14
Ways of the World
We live in a world today that seems to dictate how we raise our children. More often than not, the way the world says is best is the way of destruction not of God’s Word. Similar to the actions of the disciples, our world wants us to take a hands off approach to raising children or to have a tight grip on everything they do. We hear things like, “don’t worry the children with difficult things,” “let them figure out who they want to become,” or “support them in whatever they choose to be.” The world does not think our children need Jesus, so it points them to everything but God.
Jesus’ Loving Touch
Why the disciples scolded the parents, we do not know. Maybe they thought children were insignificant or a waste of time to the “serious” ministry of Jesus. Whatever the reason was, Jesus wanted the little ones to come. He was not too busy for them. He did not think them insignificant. No! He knew they needed Him. They needed the touch of their Savior. They needed His impact in their lives. Jesus knew that children needed the long lasting presence and touch of the One who knew them more than anyone else. He knew what the loving and caring hands of someone who loves you does to a person, He knew what imprint a godly parent, teacher, grandma, aunty could add to the life of a child through and through.
Our heavenly Father did not throw Jesus down from Heaven or keep Him in a cave to be fed and nourished by angels. No! He put Him in a home where loving hands could help mold Him into the life He came to earth for. God knew the essence of hands filled with grace and love so much so that He put His Son in a home.
Your Loving Touch
Dear mother, grandmother, aunty, sister, or teacher, your hands are meant to bless and nurture the next generation into the life God has created them to live. Your hands were made to build up those around you by pointing them to Christ. Proverbs 14:1 says that a “wise woman builds her household, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.” The hands are a symbol of authority, ability, strength, capability. Let our hands nurture, bring comfort, show love to not just our children but to others around us.
Building Children Up
At Love God Greatly, we believe so much in the power of loving hands that we have created Kids journals to go with our adult studies. By providing a way for kids to study God’s word, we extend our loving hands to them. I live in Nigeria. Many years ago, I received two copies of “Growing Through Prayer: Kids Journal.” I gave these books to two children in the church, and I can’t begin to tell you the immerse blessing it was to those lovely girls.
I encourage every woman reading this blog post to ask God for wisdom on where and how your hands can be loving towards not just your children or children related to you by blood but to every child the Lord leads you to.
With the way our world is turning, we need a next generation that knows God. Would your hands be available to God to mold the next generation?
Dear Lord, anoint our hands and make them loving, like that of Christ, to impact the next generation for you. Amen.
Let’s study God’s Word together!
This blog post is part of our Grace-Filled Motherhood series. Learn more about the study and join us for encouragement and growth.
