I spent this afternoon skipping stones across the Arkansas River in a remote town in Colorado with my two little boys ages 6 and 3. I was two thousand miles away from all the worries of home and the office. Mentally, I was even further away than that. There was nothing I’d rather be doing today than sharing in the joy of my boys as they frolicked barefoot on the bank of the river. And to think that this was supposed to be an act of sacrifice and service. After all, I was just killing time with the young ones while my wife and our older children were whitewater rafting.
He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” Mark 9:36-37
There are many tough passages wherein Jesus is asking us to sacrifice our time, our comfort, and our resources. Our natural tendency is to resist. At least for me, this isn’t one of those passages. In this instance, Jesus is asking me to do precisely what I would like to do.
Lord Jesus,
Thank you for the glorious gift of children. Thank you for the sense of purpose they provide me. Thank you that it is a joy for me to serve them. Thank you that one way I am able to serve you is simply by being the dad that I am naturally wired to be.
Greg (gmd40187)
Sixty-six books in a year 