The Importance of Children: A Morning Devotional for the Teachers of Dalton Primary

“People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.” Mark 10: 13-16

Jesus wants the little children to come to him. During this devotional, I will share three points: children are important, we are examples of Jesus Christ’s love, and we are all children of God.
First of all, I want to thank you for recognizing the importance of children, as you chose the profession of being teachers. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus encourages the children to come to him. At the time, this identifying of the importance of children was contrary to the cultural norm, where adults treated children as less than a person deserving respect. Jesus ignored the cultural norms as he pointed out the significance of children. Thank you for shaping the leaders of tomorrow.
Secondly, we are each examples of Jesus’ love. My favorite part of each school day is when we gather at the beginning of the day to sing and pray. As we worship, the children look up to you, literally in front of them, as Christian examples. Not only do they see you as examples of Christianity at work as you worship, but also as you act out your beliefs in the classroom. We serve as important examples in these children’s lives, because the scripture says that it is only as children that we “receive the kingdom of God.” We should show Jesus’ love in all our actions.
How do we show love? By hitting them? By encouraging them? Jesus, our example in every day life, tells us to love our neighbors, not with a few actions, but with every action. Jesus demonstrated love by washing the disciples feet. He said verbally and through his actions that status and power does not change how much we love each neighbor. Our savior embraced children.
Thirdly, we are all children of God. We all matter equally to God. Jesus gives children as an example of who receives the kingdom of God. I really enjoy the South African concept of “ubuntu,” which means that we are humans because of one another. In how we treat our fellow children, no matter their wealth, nationality, race, or age, we bring ourselves as humanity up or down.
Thank you for recognizing the importance of children. We should show Jesus’ love to the children in every action, every day. As children of God, each of us we are precious in God’s eyes. May we be instruments of God’s love, this day and always.