"Let the children come to me..." (Mark 10:14)

She kept pulling her mum's dress. She wanted some attention. The five-year-old Joyce wanted her very busy mother to look at her drawing. "Mummy, it's Jesus and his friends!", she kept crying. But mummy had work to do, she had to work on the company's accounts for her bossy boss. All she could say was, "Baby, I'm busy", "I'm coming", "I can see Jesus and his friends, they're beautiful". "But you are not even looking, mummy", Joyce cried louder, feeling very dejected this time, and soaked in tears.
Joyce's mum, busy though she was, could not help giving her some attention, this time. She came down to the floor where her daughter was, held her close and said, "I'm sorry. I'm here now". Together, mother and daughter looked at Joyce's drawing. "This is Peter, this is Mary...", Joyce was saying, pointing at the matchstick-sized bodies with pea-shaped heads. Mummy's cheeks had hot tears flowing down them when Joyce said, "Mummy, this is you, and this is me, and this is daddy, this is grandpa with grandma". She looked at her little daughter's lovely face with a grateful smile and said, "Thank you, my pretty little angel. I love you!".


LESSON
In Nigeria, May 27 is celebrated as Children's Day. Do we really take some time to think about the children and what they can do? Most times, we feel they are just children, and know nothing. But, no! These children are very dear to their maker. It is then our duty to love them, teach them, guard them, and direct them. We can never be too busy to love our children, for all they ever want from us is love.
let us see God in our children. Let us give them every dignity they deserve, listen to them and bring out the best in them. Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be.


PRAYER
Dear Jesus, father and friend of children, bless every child and bring them close to you. Give us the grace to love them like you do, and a childlike heart to love you like they do. Help them to be true messengers of your Word, that the world may come to believe in you through them.


FOR OUR REFLECTION
Psalm 119:9
Mark 9:35-37
Mark 10:13-16