"Children Are Givers"

Children are simply...amazing! I never realized how being a "grandpa" could change the way you looked at children. Children are just fascinating! No wonder Jesus said they were the greatest in the kingdom of God (Matt. 18:1-4). Jesus spoke to the adult that they needed to be converted and become like children. Why? They trust, can change their attitudes and love so easily and quickly. Even when little children are in abusive homes, they still reach out to their parents for their love and acceptance. It is just amazing the capacity of their heart!

One thing that really catches my attention about children is their willingness and wanting to give freely! They don't know a penny from a dollar. They have no idea of a dollar from a twenty. It makes no sense to them about amounts. The only thing that they desire is to give and give it all away willingly. To a child, giving is love in action. I remember one of my sons, when he was about 4 years old came and brought me all the money he had in his little bank. He told me to take it and I asked him why he wanted to do that. Apparently he had over-heard his mom and I speak about things being difficult for us financially and in his heart, he wanted to give it all knowing it would help. I'll never forget that evening!

Here's the strange part...parents take away this desire to give from their children and seem to train in to have a heart for greed! That's what Peter reminds us about those ungodly who reside among us in the church. "Having a heart trained in greed..." (II Pet. 2:14). For some reason we as parents have taken our children and taught them to hoard, to get, to want and flood them with every gift we can get out hands on all in the name of love! We say we love them that we want them to have what we didn't or couldn't so we train them, advise them and encourage them to be selfish and keep. As they grow up, they become "wanters" and when things don't go the way they want, it upsets them. What are we doing?

Children have this ability to sense the need of the moment. They see an opportunity and delight in helping. We need to train our children to understand the value of a dollar but it is more important to train our children, encourage our children the value to continue to be giving. Paul encouraged the elders from Ephesus, "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" (Acts 20:35) As I observe many of our young couples today, most have spent themselves into such a tight budget that hoarding is natural and giving has gone by the way. Their children have everything it seems and there is little giving both monetarily and with their lives. No wonder many never find the blessings of God.

Jesus knew that children are the greatest and maybe we need to re-think what we are training our children into becoming. Are we training them to have a heart for greed or giving is always much better than receiving? Oh, for a heart of a four year old!!!