Read Psalm 127:3-5 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Review
1. What words or metaphors are used to describe children?
2. What emotions do they bring?
3. What is God’s part in this?
Reflect
In today’s culture, children are often viewed as an inconvenience or distraction. Sometimes they’re viewed as performers who carry the burden of achieving everything their parents didn’t, putting pressure on them to meet or exceed a standard. They’re constantly compared, and their lives are built around the chaotic schedule required to achieve all of their parents’ dreams.
Amidst these cultural norms, today’s Bible verses bring us back to God’s perspective. Kids aren’t an inconvenience, distraction, or means of fulfilling their parents’ dreams. They are a gift. In fact, Jesus emphasized this with His disciples when parents brought their children to Him for blessing. His disciples scolded the parents, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children” (Luke 18:16, NLT).
This is still true today. When the pace of life threatens to keep us from being fully present, we have to remember that children are a gift. They are valuable. They are welcome. They are the future.
Respond
What small daily choices can you make to remember the gift of children, whether yours or someone else’s? Write down at least two practical things you can do today, and follow through on one of them.
Want some ideas? Check out our parent resources at tpcc.org/parents!