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Family Ministry Newsletter

It’s Great To Be A Kid!

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us,
that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”  1 John 3:1

One of my favorite books is full of quotes from elementary aged kids.  As you
can imagine, most of the quotes are hilarious.  David Heller titles his book “Growing Up Isn’t Hard To Do If You Start Out As A Kid.” Over a period of about 5 years, David spent time interviewing kids on subjects such as work, marriage, parenthood, and adulthood. One of my favorite sections was on the topic of marriage.  When asked to define marriage, Eric, age 6, says, “Marriage is when you get to keep your girl and don’t have to give her back to her parents!”  Sammy, age 9 says, “I don’t want to get married even though I am already 9.  You’re never alone and your wife follows you around all the time.”  When asked how a person decides whom to marry, Allen, who is 10 years old, has a fascinating perspective.  He says, “You gotta find somebody who likes the same stuff.  Like if you like sports, then she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.”  I guess we figured out how his dad spends his weekends— in front of the TV!

I get such a kick out of my own kiddos, especially during their younger years. I
love it that when I come home my 5-year-old Holden asks, “How was YOUR day, dad? ….. Wanna wrestle?” When Collins was 2 years old (I remember because I wrote it down) she said to me, “tollo dada, please? Shoos and soks,” which meant that she really wanted me to give her a ride in her stroller and she needed her shoes and socks put on her feet.  How could I refuse!  She is irresistible to her daddy! I know there will soon come a day (too soon) when my kids won’t ask me, and that’s going to break my heart. So, I’m saying YES
to just about everything they want to include me!

It’s impossible to put into words how much we love our children, isn’t it? We’ll
do anything for them. We delight in them! Consider the immensity of love our Heavenly Father must have towards His kids, you and me, in light of how we cherish our own. We love to give good things to our kids. We discipline our kids. Our kids depend on us. We are even willing to forgive them. We want to protect them, teach them, make them smile…. And hear them say, “I love you momma and dadda.”

1 Peter 5:5 says, “Cast your burdens upon the Lord because He cares for
you.”  The phrase “He cares for you” also can be translated, “You are His concern.” Ponder that truth for just a second— God Almighty has concern about you! He feels your hurt. He understands your pain. He knows your fears, doubts, struggles, and worries. And He tells you, “give them to Me! I’ll take care of you!” Recall the Sermon on the Mount.

He cares for YOU infinitely more than you can conceive. The best you can
fathom the depth of His love for you is dependent on how much you recognize the depth of your sin. The cost He paid, for a wretch like me, is the greatest demonstration of love that there is. Consider Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved.” When we remember that we have absolutely no worthiness of His loving sacrifice, we have a much better understanding of this inconceivable love.

It’s the magnitude of His forgiveness that demonstrates the most amazing
truth that Jesus loves you. If you need to ask His forgiveness for something sinful you’ve said, thought, or done…. Or something you didn’t say, or didn’t do that was sinful, He is faithful to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. (1 Corinthians 10:13) Go to Him, humbly, like a child.

You belong to Him. You delight Him. You make Him smile.
Isn’t it marvelous to be HIS kid?!

Todd Rapp
Pastor of Family Ministries