Proverbs 22:6 NIVUK
Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
‘Children should be seen and not heard.’ I have always thought this is an obnoxious saying! Another is ‘Young people are the church of tomorrow’. This really winds me up. Children are God’s creation, made in his image and just as valuable and just as important to him as us adults are. Children can find joy in him just as we can, and hear from him and be used by him. This is why I am don’t mind the noise of children playing during a service, even in the ‘serious bits’. Another reason why I am passionate about including them and sharing Jesus with them is that they have a life ahead of them; those experiences they have now will shape the way they see and act in the world they grow up in.
Jesus, you welcomed children despite how the adults around you saw them. Help us to do the same and give them the best start we can – early years experiencing you and your love.
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