“‘The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40 NIV
I recall when our kids were young we would pull up to stop signs or lights and oftentimes there would be someone asking for help. These signs would say things like “Homeless Veteran,” “Homeless and Hungry” and on and on.
Invariably our kids would say “are we going to help them?” “Daddy, we need to give them some money!” With emphasis!!! “Daddy, should we invite them home so they can eat, shower, sleep?” Oh my heart aches as I write this because I missed so many priceless moments of example.
Every now and then (but not often enough) we would give them a few dollars. The absolute joy and faces shining with an understanding that transcended age that shown on our kids faces warms my heart now and reflects in my inner self as I examine my heart.
“and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3 AMP
My daughter asked me one day when I ‘educated her’ that “many times these people are not being honest and taking advantage of good people,” she asked: “How do you know?” A dagger in my heart. How did I know? What right did I have to assign the discernment only available to the God that I claimed? How did I know? I didn’t!
What a blessing our kids are to us. They teach us so many things. They reveal so many things to us. They exemplify the innocence that God commands of us in the form of righteousness. They fill our lives with laughter and our hearts with consciousness to be better. To grow. To live the words we say. To exemplify Christ in the way we treat one another in our family and how we treat all those that God places in our path.
“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.” 1 John 3:1-3 NLT
Our kids cause me to seek a deeper relationship with my Father in Heaven. I realize how much more their hearts are developed than mine. I see in them and their mom a genuine desire to love. A genuine desire to help. To encourage. To care for and include. They welcome others without pretense or without guarding against ‘being taken advantage of.’ How blessed am I that I should be called a child of God!
Today consider being vulnerable. Consider that what you have been entrusted with is for so much more. Consider willingly being taken advantage of. Consider the eyes that are watching you and the ears that are listening. What value can you assign to leading someone to relationship with Christ through random and naive acts of kindness.
The leaders of the day felt Jesus taught a naive concept of relationship with God when he taught love, kindness, help, all are brothers and sisters. Jesus removed the shackles of legalism and replaced them with the hope, joy, assurance and eternal relationship that exists when we accept him as our Lord and Savior.
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
Live a naive life of love that causes eternal impact. That is the priceless purpose of God’s children.
You’ve got this.