"One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering Him. When Jesus saw what was happening, He was angry with His disciples. He said "Let the children come to Me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children." (Mark 10:13 NLT)
God is never bothered when we bring our children to Him!
I can still recall being a new and terrified Momma. Twenty-two years hasn’t turned down the memory: nursing my infant alone in the night. We couldn’t afford cable and smart phones wouldn’t exist for another decade. I sat in the dark with everything precious at my breast and prayed to God for my beautiful boy. I was acutely aware of my shortfalls and certain there were deficiencies I hadn’t yet discovered. I spent those wee morning hours asking for strength in my weakness.
Fast forward a few years and our delightful son had grown into a too-thin teenager, battling sever acne with a heavy dose of Accutane. He was a different person on that prescription and, once again, I was up in the night putting my boy before the Father.
Now he’s twenty-two and smart as a whip. He’s very nearly out-educated both Mom and Dad, and seems to have the world by a string. You know what? I’m still praying. We still carry our son into the throne room each and every evening. We plead for protection, provision and fresh revelation of God’s power and presence in his life. (Not just for our boy, we’ve been blessed to bring a sweet baby girl into the world, as well. She gets the same prayer pampering.)
Momma; God is never bothered by your request. He loves your kiddos far more perfectly and completely than you can imagine. He is not put out by our effort; He’s invested! He’s the primary shareholder in our children’s accounts. He cares far more than we are capable and He longs to sit with us and talk about our kids. The best way to tend to our adult children is by bringing them to the Lord at every opportunity; in person or in prayer. We maintain this priority long after our babies leave the nest.
"Then He took the children in HIs arms and placed His hands on their heads and blessed them." (Mark 10:16 NLT)
Lord, we have been humbled by the opportunity to raise children. When they leave the nest, we can look back and wonder about our contribution, or we can look forward in faith; continuing to bring our sons and daughters into Your presence. We know they need You because we need You. This need is the common denominator of humanity. Lord, we tenderly place our children in Your care again. May we be faithful to bring them into Your presence, no matter how grown they get. May we never tire of talking to You about these precious people You’ve entrusted to us. Amen.