Clear the Path

Reflect and pray

Jesus did not say, 'Help them find Me when they are older.' He said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them.' The command is immediate, and the barrier is identified: hindrance. Someone, or something, is making it harder for these little ones to reach Jesus. In the text, it was the disciples' pride and prejudice. In our lives, the hindrances can be more subtle but just as damaging.

Sometimes we hinder others with our assumptions. We decide that a person is too young, too broken, too busy, or too far gone to be interested in Christ. So we never invite them. We never tell them the truth. We never make space for their questions. Other times we hinder ourselves. We believe the lie that we must clean up our lives before we can approach Jesus, as if the kingdom were a country club instead of a hospital. We wait for a feeling, a season, or a level of maturity that never arrives, and in our waiting we stay distant.

Jesus' words are a bulldozer through every obstacle. Let them come. Let him come. Let her come. Do not stand in the way. If you are a parent, do not let your own spiritual fatigue silence the gospel in your home. If you are a leader, do not let bureaucracy or tradition make the church feel inaccessible to the searching. If you are the one who has been holding back, do not let shame build one more wall between you and the Savior.

The kingdom belongs to those who come. It does not belong to those who have it all together. It belongs to the poor in spirit, the dependent, the ones who simply show up. Clear the path today. Remove the log of pride, the stone of busyness, or the thorn of fear. Make way for the children. Make way for yourself. Jesus is already waiting with open arms.