12. THE BEST VERSION OF MYSELF: BLESS

Tuesday, March 12th

Read Mark 10:13-16 (copied below).

Follow Jesus…

As Jesus is teaching and healing crowds of people, children are also being brought to him for a blessing. The disciples sternly speak against this, but Jesus then says, “Let them come…” He goes on to say that the kingdom of heaven “belongs to such as these” and takes the children into his arms and blesses them. One can only imagine how these children must have felt dearly loved and valued.

to be the best version of myself…

This story offers yet another assurance that the love of God in Christ is not based on our merit, knowledge, or usefulness to God. Jesus asserts that the kingdom of heaven belongs to children, who are innocent, helpless, naive, dependent, and at times unreasonable. This is a grace for me, that I do not need to prove myself or perfect myself for God to love me. In fact, it seems as if Jesus especially draws near to the helpless, imperfect, and unaware.

And as he blesses the children, so should I. Whether it’s working to ensure that crying children are heard, hungry children are fed, learning students are safe, refugee children are welcome, frightened children are secure, and marginalized youth are included, I must not sit idly by. The kingdom belongs to them–and I am called to help them experience it.

for the world.

God, Infinite Love,
As Jesus welcomed and blessed the children, help me to do the same. Open my eyes to see the needs of your children, then give me the courage to keep speaking, the resources to keep helping, the insight to keep guiding, the gentleness to keep comforting, and the love to keep encouraging. Thank you for loving us all, for offering us your kingdom despite our imperfections and shortcomings. May your kingdom come. For everyone.

Our reading for Thursday (14th) is Mark 4:35-41.

Photo by our daughter of Jim and me, walking with our beloved grandson.

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Mark 10:13-16 (NRSVUE)

People were bringing 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 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.