And a little child shall lead them

Went to church yesterday.  By chance there happened to be a pretty little girl with shoulder-length brown hair in in the seat in front of us who was busily attending to her 2 dolls.  One was bald, but the other had shiny auburn hair and the girl was happily working on her hair, putting a barrette in here, combing there, and arranging over there, until she was satisfied, occasionally looking at one of us for a smile.  A scene of pure bliss and domesticity.  It reminded me of our experience with our 2 daughters.  I remembered also how we never, ever, told them to “act like girls” in any way.  We didn’t have to; girls is who they were and are, and it showed very early in their lives.  Anyone who has raised children, can tell you that girls are simply and fundamentally different from boys.

Why is this important?  Because nature and history both teach us that women are the great civilizers of the world.  Women are the core meaning of the word “home”. That little girl in front of us with the dollies was practicing for making a home of her own.  Wives, Moms, Grandmas are absolutely irreplaceable.  Women can indeed do many things, but there is nothing they are as perfectly designed for as the role of Mom, Aunt, Grandma and Daughter. 

How do I know this?  Because I’m a guy.  The little girl playing with the doll brought out a huge heart of protectiveness in me.  As with my own daughters and my wife, I want to be sure that no one hurts the little girl (or woman) who makes the home.  I would stand up and take a bullet rather than see her be hurt.  That’s because I’m a boy and it’s how we are also.  God created a whole and complete world (even though it is fallen) with a vital role for each of us to play.

Children genuinely don’t understand that the world has wicked people in it who would hurt them.  They’re not supposed to understand.  Neither are we, not in our original form.  Perfection, pure innocence, was what Adam and Eve possessed in the Garden before the fall.  It wasn’t a matter of striving and trying really hard not to do evil; it just never occurred to them.  If you had said “now make sure you don’t kill Eve” to Adam, he would not have said “I promise I will not do that because I’m trying to be a good person”, but rather would have responded with “why would anyone do that?” because evil was unthinkable.  That’s what the knowledge of good and evil means and why it was forbidden to Adam and Eve.  Children, in their innocence are a little glimpse back into the garden, and forward to the redeemed New Jerusalem. This is why Jesus loves children so much.

Matthew 19:13 (NLT) One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” 15 And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.