Love the Tiny Sprouts of Faith

Luke 18:15-17

Matthew Henry once wrote, “None are too little, too young, to be brought to Christ, who knows how to show kindness to those not capable of doing service to Him… and we must receive His kingdom as children, not by purchase, and must call it our Father’s gift.”

There is great peace in the knowledge that Jesus received even infants. Babes cannot understand God’s will. They don’t realize the price that was paid for their souls. Still, they are sought after, called, and wanted by God. Not a single heart beats that isn’t set upon its rhythm by the will of the Lord. As parents, guardians, teachers, and friends, we have the beautiful opportunity to bring these little lives into the presence of Christ. The light we share will be ignited in their souls, even though they don’t yet understand. The seeds we plant will forever be intertwined in their inner most being. Over and over again, people at the end of their lives remember those passages, messages, and songs from their childhood far clearer than the present world around them. These ‘first seeds’ grow roots that change the course of people’s lives. They anchor us to the Lord despite all the storms life throws at us.

Do not hinder the little child from coming to Christ. Open the way for them. They may not understand, but they hear. They may not respond, but they will remember. Plant the seeds and love each tiny sprout that grows. Remember that every gospel great, every man and woman that changed the world through their faithful pointing to God, started out as a snot-nosed baby who refused to nap and often soiled good shirts. Every heart that ever longed for the Lord once didn’t understand and once failed to know. Still, they were called by Christ. They were loved long before they knew Him. Children belong to the Lord. Let’s make sure we introduce them to their Savior and never stand in the way of them getting to know the one who gave it all so they might live.

(Written by Keegan Harkins.)