Children Need Positive Affirmation
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.”
(Mark 10:16)
Passage: 1 Peter 2:9-10; Jeremiah 29:11
I’ll never forget coming home during one day in February of my Junior year of High School after High School feeling down and discouraged. It was near the time when the varsity baseball coach would select the team and cut the rest who were trying out. Though I had played on the junior varsity the previous year, the coach told me that I was one the bubble and he really wasn’t sure if he would put me on the varsity, which meant my time of playing was over. When I told my dad about that, he put his arms around me and spoke blessing into me. He said, “Son, you can do anything you set your mind to do.” That affirmation lifted my spirit. It helped me focus more. The coach did keep me and I enjoyed finishing out my last two years of High School getting to play a sport I had grown to love.
When Jesus took the children in His arms and gave them loving affection through meaningful and appropriate touch, He also gave them positive affirmation through a blessing. Blessing is more than just saying “good job”, or “way to go”. Those kind of encouraging statements are important, but blessing goes beyond them. Giving children a blessing is picturing a bright future for them and instilling a sense of purpose into their lives. Children need to hear that God made them special and gifted them in unique ways to make a positive difference in this world. God wants children to receive blessing through the positive affirmation they receive at home and through people at church. Jesus blessed the children. So should we.
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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)