Suffer the little children

I was reading the verse, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:14)

The verse has puzzled me for a while... what does that mean? Suffer the little children? Do children suffer in this verse? Then it hit me! Suffer the children means to "put up with them" or "if they are an inconvienence, deal with it". Many adults don't like children in certain situations (like church, or prayer meetings, or bible studies) because of the interuptions or noise level. I believe that children, if taught how to act in those situations, have much to gain by seeing and hearing the adult conversations.

I was at a point a little while ago where I thought it would be good for me to take my kids to a prayer meeting and let them see the importance of praying as a group. Teach them now, while they are young, and when they are older, maybe they'll have an easier slide into the adult world. I had prepped them ahead of time that it was going to last an hour and they were to sit quietly unless they wanted to pray. I even had them bribed with an ice cream cone if they were good. We went in to join and were told that we could only attend if they didn't make any noise. Well, asking 6 kids not to make ANY noise is like pulling a tooth without Novicaine. The pain I would endure just wouldn't be worth it. So we left. I was dishearted by the whole situation and cried most of the way home.

I can see their point. Who can concentrate on praying when there are rustling noises in the background? Ah, but Jesus gave a command. "Suffer the little children". It's not all about us (adults). In fact, most people become Christians BEFORE the age of 18. Statistics say that the older a person is, the more he is set in his ways, the less likely he is to accept Christ. The government has it right. They get our kids 6 hours each day for 12 to 18 years to instill their values. The kids learn that the earth is over-populated, our planet is in the process of some huge meltdown, evolution is fact, and religion has no place in society.

The church is missing its chance. Some of the greatest champions for the faith are still wearing diapers. Who will win their hearts? Allow these little ones to learn how they should act in adult situations without furrowed brows staring down on them. If they are never challenged to do so, they never have the opportunity to prove themselves. Sure it may cause some inconvienence and be against your inclination, but look what the government can do when they see the value of training our young ones. The results are sitting in Congress right now.