by Carol Lim

I am extremely blessed to be a part of Fireflies Nursery ministry.  This is where I get to serve the children and the parents, but more than that, this is a ministry that God has used and continues to use to teach me truth about Himself.

I was recently reading a passage in Matthew 18 where Jesus’ disciples are debating about being the greatest in the Kingdom.  As they are arguing, Jesus brings a child in the midst to exhort those listening to have a childlike faith (v.1-3) and to be humble like a child (v.4) – completely lacking in sophistication and power, yet filled with simplicity and totally dependent on others to care for them.  I saw from this passage how Jesus used a child to teach His disciples, children of God, a lesson about His love and affection for His own, and His desire in wanting to protect His children from falling into sin.  He even lays out a harsh statement that “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (v.6)  How terrified those disciples must have been, when they realized that by bickering and arguing about being the greatest in the Kingdom they were in fact provoking each other to bitterness, pride, envy, jealousy and thus mutually causing each other to sin.

The passage helped me to think through how our Heavenly Father feels about wanting to make sure that His children are being cared for.  Having raised two children and now watching my older child raise a daughter of her own there is no doubt in my mind how far I would go to protect my children from anyone trying to harm them.  If you attempt to harm my child (or my grandchild) I would probably come after you.  There’s no question that I’m committed to care for them, to protect them from any harm and danger.  This kind of love and care is what I regularly witness as I see moms and dads bring in their child into nursery week after week.  I see how the parents want to make sure that their child is safe and is being cared for (I see some nervous first-time moms peeking in through the window from time to time).  Likewise I am reminded to be cautious about how I treat another believer, who is a child of God.  How I treat God’s people has always been of great concern to God.  My attitude, speech, and actions all have a huge implication on whether I’m causing another believer to love God or to sin.  It is no longer just about my spiritual well-being, but also looking out for another believer, encouraging him/her to grow in their knowledge and understanding of Him who constantly desires to love, care and protect us.