18 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus,
saying,
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him,
and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said,
Verily I say unto you,
Except ye be converted,
and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself
as this little child,
the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoso shall receive
one such little child in my name receiveth me.
6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones
which believe in me,
it were better for him
that a millstone were hanged about his neck,
and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Matthew 18:1-6
King James Version
You can see how far we've veered from Jesus' teachings.
How we have neglected many children of the world, allowing hunger, poverty, violence, abandonment, abuse, to come into their lives.
Where other children are spoiled and pampered, there are many more children suffering elsewhere.
All this is happening because we don't have child-like hearts anymore.
We have become adult-erated.
We need to get "aerated" by the Holy Spirit of God, once more.
We need to remember the LORD's teachings about being pure, humble, and undefiled, having the heart of children, who are closest to His heart.
A humble heart won't put himself above everyone.
Sure, kids get into fight, too, bickering over their toys, or getting jealous of parent's or friend's attention, but they don't carry grudges.
There is no such consciousness in the child.
There is only a love for play, for learning, for food, for sleep, forever curious, and seeking love from his family.
Can you imagine how many children in the world don't have enough to eat, have clean clothes on their back, have a home to keep them warm, have the love, peace, and security that others kids may have?
And what of orphans, or child workers?
Who looks after them?
I had a wonderful opportunity once, many years ago, when a dear lady, a wife of a former Austrian ambassador to the Philippines, invited me to visit her "village".
So, we took the plane, and went south.
It was my first experience with orphans in a lovely tropical village.
How the foreign organization took care of them so!
The kids were clean, looked happy and content, and eager for visitors.
I had photographs with them, and when we left, they gave me souvenirs of their own form of art, like drawings, and bookmarkers.
It's always a good experience for anyone to visit orphans.
We can feel their hunger for love.
Being child-like myself, I've always had close affinity with children.
We all seem to understand each other.
We adults must care for them, making sure they are not corrupted by the world.
We're not here to spoil them; we're here to love them, not one more than the other.
Love must be given as God would -- equally.
Perhaps, our duties as adults, is to make sure they are given an opportunity to develop their own talents, to have a loving home to live in, and education they desire.
We're here to feed them nutritious food, not junk food.
We're here to give them real toys, not addicting gadgets.
We're here to give them the education they desire, not what we desire.
We're here as temporary parents for them, looking after their welfare, safety, and security.
But all these can only come from an adult heart, with the heart of a child -- humble, loving, and totally obedient to the LORD.
That will surely give our kids a chance to be safe, nourished, and loved, without drama or excess.
It's really an ideal to love, as GOD would.
What could be a nobler way to live, think, and work?
Remember this story about Jesus?
15 And they brought unto him also infants,
that he would touch them:
but when his disciples saw it,
they rebuked them.
16 But Jesus called them unto him,
and said,
Suffer little children to come unto me,
and forbid them not:
for of such is the kingdom of God.
17 Verily I say unto you,
Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God
as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
Luke 18:15-17 (KJV)
Updated 18 January 2022
