“Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.”  Matt. 18:5

Effective parenting and grandparenting requires intentionality. God laid down this challenge through the prophet Jeremiah—Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths; ask where the good way is, and walk in it (Jer. 6:16). That’s what intentional travelers do. I stand at a crossroads everyday and must choose the path I will walk—the good way where God promises rest for my soul… or my way. Frank Sinatra may have arrogantly boasted, “I did it my way”, and my way may work for a song, but it’s never the good way. In the end, my way doesn’t count.  

Jesus reminded the disciples that His way (the good way) involved welcoming children (Matt 18:5). Notice Jesus didn’t address this to just parents and grandparents. It is the way every adult should act towards children. We are all called to welcome a little child because in so doing we declare our allegiance to Christ and His heart. It is an act of welcoming Jesus.

What did Jesus mean by welcome? Perhaps it might help us understand the answer to that question considering what it does NOT mean.

• It does not mean worshiping children and making them the center of the universe—the “every child first” mentality so prevalent today. 
• It does not mean treating them with contempt as second-class citizens.
• It does not mean ignoring our responsibility to lovingly engage them and disciple them to walk in the truth and follow Christ wholeheartedly.
• It does not mean belittling them because they ask hard and sometimes silly questions.
• It does not mean moving to age-segregated communities where children are not welcome. 
• It does not mean doing or saying anything that would hinder a child from coming to Christ.

On the proactive side, welcome means treating according to the value and worth they have as an image-bearer of God. It means seeing them through the eyes of the Father—opening my heart and my arms to them.

Welcoming the children is something Jesus takes very seriously. In fact, He makes it very clear that anyone who in anyway hinders a child, directly or indirectly, from coming to Him will face severe consequences. Good way intentional travelers look for ways to reach out and welcome the children in their family, their church, and their neighborhood rather than ignoring them or complaining about them. The good thing about intentionally traveling the good way is that God promises a personal blessing—rest for our souls.

Think about it. That’s an amazing promise! Rest for the soul—God’s shalom. This ‘soul shalom’ is not present when I am agitated by the things around me I can’t control, or when I harbor selfish and unrealistic expectations that allow no room for grace. That’s how the disciples were acting when Jesus reprimanded them about their attitude towards the children. There’s no rest to be found in the reprimand of a self-centered heart. Rest for the soul is the fruit of walking the good way of a welcoming heart. Such a heart welcomes the Savior.

GRANDPAUSE:  “I am not asking Him to help me, but asking if I may help by serving Him. I seek not His sanction on my plans and designs but seek permission to participate in His plans and designs. I seek how it is possible to cultivate God’s presence and endeavor to know His heart.”  -F.B. Meyer

What are some ways we can live out a welcoming heart among the children God brings across our path? Here are some suggestions I have. What would you add to them?

1.  Go out of your way to speak graciously and respectfully to the children in your church. Find something about which to compliment them.
2. Look for ways to safely and appropriately extend a welcoming hand to children in your neighborhood. Instead of chasing them off your grass, make them feel welcome (always with a parent’s approval and presence).
3. Offer to teach a children’s or youth Sunday School class, or offer to help out with programs like AWANA or other youth clubs.
4. Welcome hard and even silly questions from your grandchildren. Let them know that no question or observation is a stupid one.