children

Consider the Ant

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Go to the ant O sluggard and consider her ways and be wise. Proverbs 6:6 ESV 

Take a look at the ant 
Jesus said to me 
But it was tough when 
He wouldn’t sit still 
He was working with all his might to build 
His tiny but growing ant hill 

And it was hard to pick out just one because 
They ran together 
All through the day 
And each helped his brother Without making a fuss 
Or insisting on having his way 

One by one they piled 
Those grains of sand 
And worked with such passion and glee 
As they showed off the beauty of God's design 
To us when we look to see! 

Consider the Ant by Peter Caligiuri copyright 2021 all rights reserved. Use by permission only.







Kick-the-Can

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You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 ESV

On late summer afternoons when I was a kid, our favorite thing to do was play “kick the can.” For those unfamiliar with the game, it is a hide and seek with the seeker working from the middle of the street with one foot on a tin can. He or she goes off to find people, then rushes back, puts one foot on the can and shouts, “123! I see Johnny behind the bush!” Then the found one must come and sit on the curb and this goes on till everyone is found. But if the seeker gets just a bit too far from the can, some child inevitably comes running full speed ahead from their hiding place and if they can get to the can to kick it before the seeker gets back, then everyone goes free! On those afternoons as the shadows deepened it grew easier and easier to hide and we never wanted to quit. But eventually our parents would begin to call us. I can still hear their voices in my mind; “Louie! Wally! Peter!” At first, we would pretend not to hear because we hoped for another chance to sneak quietly towards the can at the center of the street with the longing to rush out one more time kick it over!

God is also hidden sometimes, but the darkness that hides God is not a part of a game He plays. That is the darkness of own hearts when decide to ignore His voice as He calls our names. But there is hope for anyone who will hear Him. There is hope when we become seekers for Him because God is already looking for us. There is hope because God does not want to be hidden. He has been looking for us since Adam and Eve tried to hide from Him in the garden. We have hope because when no one heard His call, He still came to the manger of Bethlehem, to the blind man at the fountain and to the woman caught in the act of adultery. God calls, God comes, and God is our hope no matter how dark the night!  

Jesus Loves the Little Children

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And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” Mark 9:36-37 ESV

Several years ago there was a young family at church that my wife helped out by picking up the children from school and babysitting them for part of the afternoon. David, was about seven and his little sister Leticia maybe five. On Sunday mornings whenever I saw them I would smile and say “Hey guys so good to see you!” . David would wave and give me a big smile but Leticia always hid her face behind her mom. At that time I was working as a translator in our church so I was always seated in the back, speaking through a wireless headset for those who didn’t speak Portuguese. Week after week, I would smile and wave at Leticia and week after week the results were always the same. “I’m sorry pastor.” her mother would say Leticia is just so shy.”

“No problem. She’ll smile for me one day when she’s ready.” I always answered. But as months passed I figured that day would never come. Then Sunday, just as I was just getting comfortable in my seat, I noticed Leticia getting out of her pew and then she turned, looked at me with a huge smile and came running to the back and jumped up in my lap!

That scene reminded me of today’s verse. Jesus was walking down the road with his disciples who were having an argument about which one of them was the most important. And right in the middle of the action Jesus reaches out and takes a small child by the hand. we all know that kid do not hang out with people they don’t like or trust. You can lecture them all day about being polite to your guests but you can’t force them to be friendly. But Jesus always had children around him. Maybe they had heard how he raised a sick little girl from the dead, or about the boy with seizures who Jesus had healed. Then there was the day when a boy gave Jesus five loaves of bread and did a miracle. Children showed up almost everywhere Jesus went. Maybe they liked being around him not because of the miracles but because, they knew they mattered to Him. He noticed them, talked to them and on occasion even took them in His arms and blessed them. So if we need healing are lonely or even just need someone to talk to, remember that Jesus is not far away. We don’t need to convince Him that we are important. All children are important to Jesus ( no matter how old we are!) You can just run and jump up in his lap today if you’re ready. He is just waiting for you to come! I also hope you love this rendition of Jesus Loves the Little Children sung by the Wilson family. It made my day!!!