Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
A few months ago my husband and I traveled to Rhode Island to babysit our two grandsons for the weekend. We assured our daughter and son-in-law we would be fine. What could go wrong with a rowdy 3-year-old whose 1-year-old brother tries everything he can to keep up?
Snow lingered on the ground so playing outside was a nonstarter. By Saturday afternoon we figured we needed to find a place to release some pent-up energy. What better place than the indoor playground at Chick-Fil-A? Eat Mor Chikin was calling our name.
My husband got our food while I went straight to the play area with the boys (since an adult had to be present). An enclosed slide—the kind where you can’t see where you’re going because it bends—turned out to be the big attraction. To get to the top, you had to climb up a set of steps. Grandson number one was in his glory. He raced up, slid down, raced up, slid down. The little guy, however, got to the top of the slide and froze. He was afraid to go around a bend he couldn’t see, especially downhill. Who could blame him?
So with all my grandma agility, I hiked up the steps and made it over to the top of the slide. He started to go down, but somehow managed to turn on his tummy and hold out his hands for me to catch him. As I grabbed his hands, we both started down the slide on our stomachs. My oldest grandson knew exactly what to do in our predicament. He grabbed hold of my ankles and the three of us landed in a pile at the bottom of the slide. He was yelling the whole way down, “I saved Grandma!”
I actually think Chick-Fil-A should have at least given us free sandwiches. We provided entertainment for the whole restaurant.
Sometimes it’s good to get into children’s shoes. Jesus welcomed children. When others rebuked the kids for getting in the way, he freely offered them affection and attention. He showed us little people are just as important as the big ones. You might prefer Candyland to sliding boards, but let’s not neglect those whom Jesus says belong to his kingdom.