Children’s songs are a regular feature of Sunday evening services at our church. Apart from the fact that they usually communicate great truths in a very simple form, they are a way for children to ‘let off steam’ and help them to feel part of our services.
Last night we sang a couple of golden oldies: ‘This Little Light of Mine’ and ‘The Love of Jesus’. And this little girl had great fun joining in with the actions:
‘It’s so high, you can’t get over it!’
‘So wide, you can’t round it!’
Her enthusiasm was infectious and made me ponder again what Jesus said about the greatest in the kingdom of heaven:
‘At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.’ (Matt 18:1-5)
For me, what a little child teaches is how to express emotion with no inhibitions, how to receive each day as a gift, how to immerse oneself in the now with no thought for the past or the future, how to receive with gratitude and how to embrace life with fervour and passion.