Randall Evans Pastor Ben’s Ponderings
“Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’”
(Matthew 18:2-4)
This story was told to me by a friend in Ohio:
On September 11, 2001, my friend’s 6 year old grandson was at his public school in his first grade class. As the events of that fateful day unfolded, the teacher began telling the children some of the things that were happening. As she spoke to the children in reassuring terms, she explained to them that some very bad men had destroyed some buildings and hurt lots of people. The teacher said that although there were some bad people in the world, there were many more good people than bad. She told them that she believed everything was going to be all right. As is usual with kids, they were full of questions. Questions like, “Who were the bad men?” “Why did they do this bad thing?” “Are they coming here where we are?”
Not wanting to unnecessarily upset the children, the teacher answered them very carefully. After all the questions were answered, the teacher wanted to help the children feel more secure, so she asked this question: “Who is it that is going to take care of you and make sure you are safe?” She was fully expecting the kids to say Mom & Dad, but in unison, 15 little voices said “Jesus!”
The teacher was shocked and surprised. This was a public school, so she paused and carefully chose her words. She said to the kids, “Yes, I suppose that’s true. He is the ‘big guy’ up in the sky, but I meant your parents are the ones who will take care of you.” Then one little voice coming from a 6 year old girl said, “But teacher, it’s Jesus! He’s the one who will take care of us.”
It is so easy to trust in arms of flesh for our protection. But as the children said so clearly, “It’s Jesus!” How simple. And we must come to God as little children.