“People were bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.”  When Jesus saw what the disciples were doing, he chastised them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them…” (Luke 18:15, 16)

The disciples thought that they were protecting Jesus from people bringing their children to him. Jesus didn’t think he was being bothered.  He said, “Do not hinder them.” 

There is a lesson to us in these words. God does not want us to be an obstacle to our children being brought to him or finding him. Just as we are responsible for nurturing the physical wellbeing of our children, so too, are we responsible for nurturing their spiritual wellbeing.    

There are many ways that this can happen. We can introduce them early on to the idea that there is a loving God who created us and all that exists. He humbled himself to become one of us in the person of Jesus. He gave his life for us to save us from our sins and eternal death. Then he sent his Holy Spirit to empower us and give us wisdom and strength to cope in a hostile world.

It is a long-term process that takes perseverance in guidance as well as the example of our own lives – perhaps the most difficult aspect of parenting.  I had a good friend who was a good and righteous man who was active in prison ministry and a ministry to the workplace. I always remember a story he shared that had so much influence on his life. He said that when he was a young boy and would come downstairs in the morning he would find his father on his knees praying in their living room. He said it had a huge impact on him throughout his life, something he always remembered.

Lest we think that the spiritual component of our children’s lives is not as important as their physical and intellectual nurturing, Jesus has even stronger words for us when he says, “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” (Luke 17:2-4)

As our children move from childhood through the teen years and into adulthood, there are many minefields facing their journey, particularly in today’s culture. It is important as parents that we instruct them when we have the opportunity, correct them when there is wrongdoing, and provide loving guidance and prayer as the need and opportunity arise.

Are you a hindrance or a support in your children meeting Jesus?