Mark 10: 13-16
13) And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
14) But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
15) Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter there-in.
16) And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
Once upon a time in the land of un-cared for children there lived a little girl, a small boy, and a stuffed giraffe. All day long the little girl longed for her parents to take notice of her. To pat her on the head and say, ?I love you.? Or better yet, feed her. At night the small child would lie in bed breathing in the smell of her urine stained mattress. Her cover was that of a rat gnawed blanket. She tried to remember what she had eaten that day, and all she could think of was a small handful of stale cereal, and some water. Her little tummy rumbled and twisted inside her protruding stomach. Sleep came slowly; a dirty, old, stuffed giraffe didn?t easily satisfy a hungry belly. But, the tiny bit of a girl with the matted brown hair and eyes too big for her face snuggled up to Mr. Giraffe anyway.
On the other side of the bed the little girl?s year-older brother laid on his back, arms folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling. When finally his baby sister?s tears are silenced by sleep, he gently reaches over and pulls the nasty blanket up under her chin. The six-year-old boy is his little sister?s only dependable caregiver.
Neither has seen their parents awake all day. Both lie in a drunken, drug induced coma. Never once caring if there is food in the house, or clean clothes for themselves or their children to wear. The little boy doesn?t remember there ever being sheets on the bed or a hot supper in the oven. He?s afraid to go to school for fear something will happen to his sister. Some would call these children abused, but that would not be the true definition for these tikes. They are prisoners of war, held captive by circumstances of birth.
These two small tots are not alone in the land of un-cared for children. There?s three-year-old Annie, whose mother?s depression comes and goes. Annie spends a lot of time locked in a closet. Mommy says it?s for her own protection.
Seth lives with his poor grandpa, a man who is broke and too old to even care for himself, much less an energetic nine-year-old. Seth gets into a lot of trouble at school. He?s different, and most of the other students treat him that way. If they only knew what goes on in his world after the school bell rings.
Eight-month-old Layla depends on her grandmother for care. She will never know who her daddy is, because her mother doesn?t even know. Layla?s mom loves herself, and pills more than her baby girl. When she does come around, she hardly notices the bright-eyed bundle. Layla?s grandma should be enjoying her retirement, cruising around with not a care in the world, but instead she?s changing messy diapers and getting up at the crack of dawn to feed her hungry grand daughter. Does she complain, no? She just wants little Layla to know that she is wanted. Grandma?s only pray is that she will stay healthy enough to raise little Layla. For without her, she would have no one.
I could go on and on about the kids who live in the land of un-cared for children. Some of these circumstances may seem exaggerated, but I?m afraid to tell you that they are sugar-coated compared to the way some children have to survive.
My heart aches when I look into the eyes of some of these innocent offspring. I see things that I think some cannot. Why? Maybe because there were times in my childhood that I wasn?t sure I?d survive. I guess I see myself in those eyes. Little hearts become easily scared. And, as we all know scars never go away. They may fade with time, but they never leave us.
Jesus speaks of the little children often in His word. He rebuked His disciples for not letting them come to him. Jesus proved His love for the children when he took them up in His arms and blessed them. Are we not to live by Jesus? example?
I know many of you, like myself, know children who live in conditions un-fit for an animal. What can we do about it? Lot?s of times, unfortunately, nothing. But, we need to be aware of the small things we might do. Give a child a hug. Wrap them up in yours arms, dirt and all. Listen to them. Let them know they are valuable, not only to you, but especially to God. Make them feel special in some small way.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention month. Five children die every day from abuse. We can help change the life of a child this April. How? By caring enough to put action to our words. A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. Approximately 80% of children that die from abuse are under the age of 4.
For more information and statistics go to, www.childhelp.org or call the National Child Abuse Hotline at: 1-800-422-4453. Crisis counselors are available 24/7. Please help save the children.
Guardian Spirit, a lady’s journey to freedom from abuse for her and her children. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_AEq4_D_3s
