Be.Loved. 25 Simple Acts of Love to Change a LifeSample

DAY 21: Encourage a child in your life with a little gift

“Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” – Luke 18:15-17

Children—you gotta love them, and, well, sometimes not really like their attitudes or decisions. If you are around children for any length of time, you quickly discover their really great qualities: their inquisitiveness, their boundless energy, their freedom of speech. But these same qualities can also push one’s limits. 

Jesus loves children. He sees them as integral to the kingdom and models of what true faith looks like.

Our children are growing up in a world that carries unlimited opportunities, and also significant challenges that didn’t exist several decades ago. And we have the awesome privilege of coming alongside all those children in our spheres of influence and speaking truth and love into their lives. 

The term beloved is perhaps no more necessary than in the lives of today’s children, who are crowded on every side by a world that tells them they are defined by what they do, what they wear, who they are friends with, or where they live.

We must speak hope into each young and precious life. 

One teacher and scholar once said, “A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”

Today, spend a few minutes in prayer, asking God which child in your neighborhood, or apartment complex, or extended family you can encourage. And then go the extra mile for him or her. Write or draw an encouraging note which includes how much God loves him or her. Get him or her a little gift, like a flower or a gemstone, which can serve as a reminder of how loved he or she is to God.

Reflect on how God used this situation to bless that child, and to bless you. Consider how you might continue to be a source of encouragement and hope for that child in the days and weeks to come.