Jimbo's Jots

“Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.” (Matthew 19:13-15, NIV)

Jesus was onto something here! The Creator greets his little creations even with the judgement of his closest followers. He tells them that children are vital to kingdom work.

Why do you think that is? Oh, there has been much speculation as to the why. Many a sermon or Bible class has been taught on this text from various perspectives. That’s not what we’re doing here. Maybe just introducing a different thought as it relates to anxiety.

We’ve talked about anxiety before. We’ve looked at various triggers, levels of anxiety, overcoming or working through anxious moments. There is some connection to children and anxiety. I’m often asked “how young is too young to take a child struggling with anxiety?” I think there are boundaries and times when a child might have anxious moments.

Think about this. Where or how would a child develop anxiety? Here’s another thought/question – my teen was a pretty good kid. Now they seem all angsty. When did that happen?

According to Erik Erikson’s stage of development, the first three stages in a person’s life are security (0-9 months), independence (9 month-3 years) and power (3-6 years). It’s in these first few years the biggest growth takes place. In fact, ninety-nine percent of brain growth happens before a child will enter kindergarten. It’s also during this period of life that a child learns levels of trust, hope, and ability. When a child learns appropriate ways to find trust, hope and abilities, they are able to find fulfillment in life. Conversely, if a child grows up in a home where there is some form of tension or trauma, then the child will pick up on this.

In his book, Mindsight, by Dr. Dan Siegel, he talks about mirror neurons that are in the brain that soak up information and enable us to learn. It’s like when you clean up a water spill with a sponge. When you put the sponge down, the water gets soaked up. This is how the brain works especially in children. As a child develops then, as they have learned from a very early age, they manage anxiety based on what they have learned early on.

So let’s pour in to our children in a positive way. Within our power, we can provide safe spaces through the tense moments and teach our children along the way. And if you think about it, God calls us His children. So we trust in our Father “for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Be blessed God’s child!! Be a blessing to other children of God along the way!