Let the Children Come to Me-Jesus

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."

As many of you know,I am passionate about working with kids.Jesus valued kids,so we should do.I think there is a lot to be learned from kids.I also think it's an incredible opportunity to be real.Kids can see right through people who aren't being genuine-they are good judges of character! These,among other reasons,are why I love working with kids.

I volunteer with a couple of different children's ministries in Lexington and I see kids coming from broken homes, starved for some healthy attention.It breaks my heart,makes me sad,and in some ways makes me sick.It's hard to understand how this happens.I mean,I know in the obvious way why these things happen.But part of me can't comprehend how someone could be so disrespectful and flippant of their own flesh and blood.Maybe I'm speaking from ignorance-coming from a comfortable suburban home with the typical family included-two kids,a mom and dad, a dog,and white picket fence.I only have my exerience to speak from.But is there a part of me that's justified in being disgusted about brokenness within the family?No child deserves to be mistreated.No child deserves to be cast aside so that the parent(s) can deal with his/her own problems.One of the things about a family is that they carry each other's burdens and deal with them together.I understand that the typical nuclear family is not that common these days, but that doesn't mean that the homes that do exist can be characterized by neglect,abuse,and a lack of transforming love.

I know this is just a bunch of ramblings and that it may not have made a lot of sense...but it's hard to articulate matters of the heart....