“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world!”

Our little two year old granddaughter who has been on more continents in her short life than many adults, was singing this song the other day.

In a cafeteria.  At the top of her lungs.

Up until that point she had entertained the customers coming and going with every song in her two-year-old repertoire:

The Barney Song, “I wuv you, you wuv me.  We’re a happy family…”

“B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, and Bingo was his name-o!”

“Tinkle Tinkle Little Star, how I wonder what you are…”

And she was adored.

Even a grumpy-looking older gentleman had to smile at her sweet voice and passion.

No one complained.  She even got words of praise.  One lady sitting near us was particularly entertained and our little Annabelle stole her heart.  She told her she was a nurse and asked her lots of questions.  Annabelle seemed to have made her day.

Until she started singing “Jesus Loves Me.”

Now, I am of course, the doting Nana and you might think I was imagining things.

But it was too obvious.

There were only a small number of patrons during our particularly long lunch time, and the atmosphere changed when those sweet words came out of her mouth.

The nurse buried herself in her computer and the room was quiet–all except for Annabelle, of course!  She didn’t notice and she didn’t stop singing, oblivious to the change in her audience.

And I started to wonder…

These simple words must have offended.

This sweet little one could sing whatever she wanted and be welcomed by the crowd–but sing about Jesus and the crowd quickly turns away.

And it grieves me.

How it must grieve the heart of God even more. For those who have turned their back on Him to the point that they can’t even bear to hear His Name.

And it challenges me.

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then He called a child to Him and had him stand among them. “I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me.”  Matthew 18:1-5

This little two-year old just kept singing anyway.

And I want to learn from her example.  “Out of the mouths of babes…”

It was no coincidence that I am in chapter 18 of Matthew in my Bible reading.  God used her and He used His Word to remind me that my position–my place in the kingdom will always be one of service.  And humility.  And persistence.

Because people need to hear those sweet words, whether they are willing to listen or not.

“See that you don’t look down on one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save the lost.”  Matthew 18:10-11