A Child’s Hope 小孩的愿望
Dexu Xia
Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them. Luke 18:16
When my granddaughter Eliana was just seven, she saw a video at her school about an orphanage in Guatemala. She told her mom, “We have to go there to help them.” Her mom replied that they would think about it when she was older.
Eliana never forgot, and, sure enough, when she was ten, her family went to help in the orphanage. Two years later, they went back, this time taking along a couple of other families from Eliana’s school. When Eliana was fifteen, she and her dad went again to Guatemala to serve.
We sometimes think the wishes and dreams of little children don’t carry the weight of adult hopes. But Scripture seems to make no such distinction. God calls children, as in the case of Samuel (1 Samuel 3:4). Jesus honors the faith of little ones (Luke 18:16-17). And Paul said younger believers shouldn’t let people discount them just because they “are young” (1 Timothy 4:12). So, we’re called to guide our children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Proverbs 22:6), recognizing that their faith is a model for us all (Matthew 18:3) and understanding that hindering them is something Christ warned against (Luke 18:15).
When we see a spark of hope in children, our job as adults is to help ignite it. And as God leads us, encourage them toward a life dedicated to trust in Jesus and service for Him. By: Dave Branon
How can you encourage children to believe in Jesus? How can you help them grow in faith?
Dear heavenly Father, the children in our world need Christ. Please help me to encourage them to believe in You.
让小孩子到我这里来，不要禁止他们。—路加福音18章16节
我的孙女伊莲7岁时，在学校看到一部讲述中美洲危地马拉一所孤儿院的影片。过后，她跟妈妈说：“我们必须去那里帮助他们。”她的妈妈告诉她，等她再长大一点，爸爸和妈妈会考虑这件事。
伊莲从未忘记这事，在她10岁那年，她与家人去那间孤儿院帮忙。两年后他们又回去，这次还有伊莲学校里的几个家庭一同前往。当伊莲15岁时，她与她父亲再次去危地马拉服事。
我们有时候会认为，小孩的愿望与梦想并不像成年人的那么重要。但圣经的记载却并非如此，上帝会呼召孩童，如对孩提时期的撒母耳说话（撒母耳记上3章4节）；耶稣看重小孩的信心（路加福音18章16-17节）；保罗劝勉年轻的基督徒，“不可叫人小看你年轻”（提摩太前书4章12节）。
由此可见，上帝要我们去引导孩子们（申命记6章6-7节；箴言22章6节），认识到孩子的信心是我们的榜样（马太福音18章3节），也要明白基督的警诫：不可阻止孩子们来亲近祂（路加福音18章15节）。
当我们在孩子身上看见希望的火花，你我这些成年人的责任是去点燃它。让我们在上帝的带领下，鼓励孩子们过一种信靠耶稣并服事祂的生活。作者： 白德夫
你如何鼓励孩子信靠耶稣？
你如何帮助他们信心增长？
亲爱的天父，这世上的小孩需要基督，
请祢帮助我鼓励他们来信靠祢。