Jesus Loves The Little Children

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
Mark 10:13-16

Learning at least one new thing every day helps keep us young...Today I learnt that kitchen knives are dangerous and should be treated with respect; and - while in general it is good to keep them clean - it is possible to be overly zealous in regards to the cleanliness of the very tip of the knife, and that being so will end in a sore thumb...

First thing this morning I was praying and sharing communion with a group of men. At the end of our half-hour together, I was out the back, dealing with the left-over bread and wine, when Jesus crept up on me and whispered in my ear, "Tell Susannah that she is my beloved." [Susannah is my four-year-old daughter]

When I got home I discovered that both our kids had crept into our bed with Jo (Noah had been there long enough to fall asleep again; I caught Susie in the act of getting under the duvet). So I got on the (edge of) the bed (that being all the room left for me), and told Susie that while I was out Jesus had asked me to tell her something from him. Her eyes opened as wide as saucers in wonder - and then crinkled up in excitement. And I told her, "Jesus asked me to tell you that you are his beloved." Eyes as wide as saucers again. I asked, "Do you know what 'beloved' means?" Susie replied, inquisitively, "No..." So I said, "When you love someone very much, they are your beloved. And Jesus wants you to know that you are his beloved." Eyes wide as saucers, and mouth open in a big wide circle too - followed by crinkled-up eyes and a grin from ear to ear...Susie reached up and gave me a great big bear hug!

The thing with Jesus is, he always has a word of encouragement. And he's never too busy, and we're never too unimportant to him, to give it. What a great way to start the day, for me and Jo as well as for Susie (Noah was asleep; his name is Hebrew for rest).