How Does God See Our Kids?

Yesterday I shared some things that I have been learning about how parents are to live in submission to their children out of reference to Christ (in light of Ephesians 5:21 and 6:4).
I believe that Paul is teaching about the manner in which parents ought to pursue the goals of training and instructing them: not in a way that exasperates their children, but rather in a way that nourishes them and helps them to flourish and grow. It is a submission to them by seeing children as God sees them, and relating to them out of that understanding.

To get to that, let’s look at these two questions:

1. How does God view children?
2. How does God want us to view our children?

1. What does Scripture say about how God views children? The first thing we see is that God places great value on children. Their very existence implies it, for as Psalm 115:3 reminds us, (ESV) Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. God only does what He wants. He only creates who He is pleased to make. Creation is God’s glorification of Himself in space and time. That means that every child God saw as necessary in order to fully glorify Himself. That fact alone shows the great value He places on children.

   The Psalmist writes about the care that God took in creating him in Psalm 139:13-16 (ESV),

   For you formed my inward parts;
   you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
   I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
   Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
   My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,
   intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
   Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
   in your book were written, every one of them,
   the days that were formed for me,
   when as yet there was none of them.

   Another way we see the value God places on children is in his concern for orphans. He commands us not to take advantage of them, and warns that we will bring judgment on ourselves if we don’t in Exodus 22:22-24 (NIV), Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.

   God reveals Himself as a defender of orphans and a provider of their needs in Deuteronomy 10:18 (NIV), He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

   God defines true religion as caring for orphans in James 1:27 (NIV), Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

   Besides these, there are 28 other places throughout Scripture where God repeats these three themes over and over and over again.

   We see how God values them in that Jesus blessed them, and said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to such. In Mark 10:13-16 (NIV) we read,

   People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

   This story is repeated in Mathew and Luke as well. That should tell us how important this act was in understanding how God looks at children.

   We also see the value God places on children in how God often gave children and youth great responsibility and honor. David was a boy when he killed Goliath. Samuel was a child when God used him to speak to Eli. Two of Israel’s greatest kings, Solomon and Josiah were children when they became king. The servant girl who told Naaman about Elisha was only a youth. Mary and Joseph were teenagers. In fact, if Jesus was acting and recruiting as a rabbi would have during his ministry (and we have no reason to think otherwise) then it is likely that the majority of the disciples were teenage boys between the ages of 15 and 19. Actually, when you consider how the disciples acted and talked with one another, that would explain a lot wouldn’t it?

2. How does God want us to look at children?

   Children are a gift from God. Psalm 127:3-5 (NLT) says,

   Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

   And we read in Proverbs 17:6 (NLT) that Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the age.

   Now I know there are days in every parent’s life when they wonder what God was thinking when He blessed you with your “reward.” Having days like that is normal! It’s not having any days like that that is not normal! But if we forget about this truth—that children are one of God’s blessings—we inevitably will end up going down the road that leads to exasperation instead of nurturing them.

   He wants us to view children as a precious treasure of His that He has made us stewards of. Every child is a personal creation of God. They are each unique and each bear His image. We have seen how greatly He values children. They are of such worth that God sent his Son to suffer and give His life for them that they might be redeemed.

   God has placed His creations, His sons, and daughters, under your care. And He will one day demand an accounting of them from you. We need to see children as great blessings that come with great responsibility.