Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Little Children Come Unto Me ~ A Guest Post by Jennie Atkins





Having just spent a long weekend with my newest granddaughter who is not quite six-months old, witnessing her boundless supply of happy smiles, and seeing the joy she gives my son and daughter-in-law, I naturally thought of the verse in Mark 10:14-15:

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Does this mean only children will enter through heaven’s gates? I guess it’s easy enough to explain away with the term child-like faith. But for me, it runs deeper.

Children have absolute trust. When my daughter was little, she would stand with her back to her dad and fall straight back into his arms—never looking back, never showing concern for her own safety, never doubting her father would catch her. As Christ’s children, we should show the same level of trust for our heavenly father. He has our best interests in mind and knows us better than we know ourselves.

Kids have no fear. As my children grew up, they tried numerous activities to test their fate. They had no fear; nothing held them back from attempting the ridiculous--which often tested the condition of my heart and nerves more than it affected them.  How many times have we wanted to do something, even felt God’s prompting to move forward? Yet we stood cemented in place, buried in a myriad of doubts and fears, believing we’d be better off staying in our safe zone. If God ordains it, he has our back, our future, and our dreams.

Little ones are an endless supply of joy. Happiness radiates from them, nothing gets them down that can’t be fixed with a hug or a little TLC. Adults, however, find themselves bogged down in the muck and the mire. The stress of everyday responsibilities zapping us of our joy.  By turning our lives over to our creator, we’ve shared our load with The Almighty, the One who is able to heal us, comfort us, and provide for us. When we learn to trust in Him, he fills our hearts with His eternal joy.

Children have no worries. As we grow older, we worry about our next meal, the clothes on our backs, our jobs. We start each day with a to-do list. Children, on the other hand, tumble out of bed, greeting the day as if it were a new adventure—not drudgery. They’d even slip on the clothes they wore the previous day if we let them.

Being a child boils down to living in God’s abundant grace.  Knowing he will carry us in the hard times, rejoice over our good fortunes, be our alpha and omega, our comforter, our provider, our friend.

Without him, I am nothing.  With him, I can be the little child who runs into his arms when times are tough, who can worship him with reckless abandon, and know that I am loved.

As an empty-nester, Jennie is finally able to devote time to a lifelong dream of being a writer.  A native Ohioan, Jennie and her husband of almost 40 years picked up their Ohio roots and moved to a peaceful valley outside of Carson City, Nevada.  Needless to say, her passion for gardening has taken on a new dimension.
 
Jennie inherited her father’s love of gardening.  From the time she was little, she helped her father in the garden where she learned all about growing vegetables and flowers.  Her passion is perennial flowers, which she is attempting to grow in the Nevada desert.

By day she works on software systems that protect machinery in refineries, petrochemical plants, hydroelectric facilities, and wind farms.  In her spare time, Jennie loves a good book, sews, or goes four-wheeling with her husband in the mountains around their home.

Jennie and her husband have four children and three grandchildren.








2 comments:

  1. This is wonderful, Jennie, as are you. Blessings to you, all of your family, and more good writing endeavors.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for sharing, Jenna. I am praying for more "childlike" faith.

    ReplyDelete

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