At that
time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven?” And
calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say
to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven. Whoever
humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little
ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great
millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
“See that you do
not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their
angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew
18:1-6,10 ESV
Most of us have a pretty messed up understanding of
"greatness." When we hear the word "great" we tend to
think of individuals in places of power, those with money, or people of
fame. In my head, I can hear the voice from the old Wizard of Oz movie
saying, "I am Oz, the great and powerful!"
"Great" is a term that speaks of awe, prestige or
respect, or implies experience. Or so we tend to think...
When Jesus was asked to identify greatness, He didn't name a
government leader. He did not identify a person of wealth. He
didn't even point to the very religious. He brought out a child.
Our challenge as believers, as stated in Ephesians 5:1-2 is to, “Imitate
God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with
love, following the example of Christ…”
So if we are going to follow the example of Christ, we must value
what He values. The Scriptures tell us that
what He values is children. We must never lose sight of that important
fact.
With that in mind, the magnitude of what I am called to do as a
houseparent to children in the foster care system becomes a
bit more clear. I have been entrusted
to care for those who Jesus referred to as the “greatest in the kingdom of
heaven.” It is not a responsibility to
be taken lightly.
In the current political climate where the work we do and the ways
in which we do it are under close scrutiny from government agencies and various
social service organizations, it is easy lose sight of what really
matters. On many levels, the way we are
required to care for children is often dictated by people who have little
comprehension of the needs of children or of “the system” within which we
operate, and while we are working overtime to demonstrate to these “powers that
be” that we are caring for children efficiently and effectively, we have to be
careful to remember that that is not the most important thing.
What is most important is that we are caring for the sector of
humanity that is special to Jesus. And
not only are children important to Christ, they are the priority of God the
Father. That children have their own guardian angels is more than just a sweet
bedtime story platitude. It is, in fact, biblical truth. Children
not only have their own "guardian angels" - their angels have the
inside line to the Father. The scripture says that in heaven THEIR angels
ALWAYS see the face of the Father!
This beautiful fact is at once both weighty and freeing. The
angels who watch over the children in my care are ever in the presence of the
Father, so I must walk wisely. (Talk
about close scrutiny!) But on the other
hand, there is no need that will ever go unnoticed. On the hard days, and the days when I am
weary, or frustrated, or feeling at the end of my rope, I am not alone in this
work because the angels who watch over
the children in my care are ever in the presence of the Father. What better support system could I possibly
ask for?
Just a thought...
