mark 10:13-16 :: blessing the children
“the children/youth are the future of the church”
while the people who usually speak these words have the best intentions in mind, this statement still bothers me to no end. this statement excludes them from what is happening now, as if they are a non-issue. it says, maybe later on down the line, you’ll have something to contribute, but for now, just go do your thing. we don’t expect anything to come from you. it passes on them as being part of the body, like denying your leg, or worse yet, calling them useless like an appendix or tonsils. you can remove them from sight or from concern and not worry too much about it, and this just is not true. the youth and children are just as much a part of the church today as any adult. if the adults were out of room in a church, the congregation wouldn’t think twice about creating some new space. but in many churches, the youth are fine to convert closets into classrooms (something adults would never stand for) and use the oldest resources because they haven’t moved up through the ranks enough yet to deserve the good stuff.
Jesus spoke directly against this though. if someone in the church could stand to go without things, it would be the adults. hopefully they are mature enough to deal with inconveniences or making sacrifices. but that doesn’t always ring true. a sense of entitlement due to age has permeated many groups, and while it is always a great and honorable idea to respect our elders, that respect is a two way street. we cannot hold back for our kids and youth. that doesn’t mean we spoil them, but rather that we give them every opportunity to grow and advance the gospel. we must make sure that that they know they are wanted and valuable, otherwise they may turn their backs on the church because they feel dismissed or unimportant.
do not hinder them, do not stop them, do not hold them back
no matter how you slice it, they are to be given every opportunity to grow closer to Jesus, not held back from Him. if it means we have to break away from conventional ideas to do this, then by all means, bring on the unknown! just so long as it lifts up Jesus and stays true to His teaching. everything else will fall into place if we continue to honor Him in this.
BenHedgspeth.com 
Children are also a part of “the body”. They certainly play a role in many ways. One of the big problems in todays church is that people don’t know how to serve or lead. That’s because the church didn’t use them or require leadership and service out of them when they were young. So, when they got older, they didn’t know and weren’t trained in what to do or how to lead. It’s time for the leaders of the church to stand up and start developing and challenging the youth of the church. How else are they going to grow? Also, they need to quit worrying about programs and teach the depth of God’s word so that the youth will be prepared for all situations to spread the good news and to defend their faith.
I forgot to say that I enjoyed this blog moment of yours. Good job!