By Cindy Koch –

Watching a birth is a single most amazing revelation of the creative powers of our God. Even if you don’t believe in a God, you cannot escape the complex miracle of human life produced before your very eyes. The small soft tissue grows to resemble the eyes and skin and breath of the very same creature from where she came. Tiny blood vessels and miniature fingers, soft eyelashes and little baby toenails. This wonderful creation is born completely helpless and dependent in relationship with her parents and her God.

Now, of course, she is not born perfect. Even if her APGAR score is top notch, she has inherited a deadly gene that makes her a sinner. She will be selfish, she will fail; as cute as she is, her punishment for that downfall will be death. But, her parents have been called to care for this creature of the Almighty. They will pass on a hope, a promise, an everlasting word so that she will know she is loved by her Creator. She will call on His Name and know she is His creature for eternity.

Strangely, our world is blind to the beauty of God’s ongoing creation. They have meaningless discussions about when a little person actually developed enough to be worthy of life. They selfishly talk about their future plans and their life design, as if they matter most. They use drugs and devices and surgeries to halt God’s beautiful gift of the next generation. Their ways are darkened by the threat of death and disease and the pain of the past. They are a people who are living under the cloak of fear from the Deceiver of this age.

God gives us children as His blessing, they are not our burden. We have simply been entrusted to tell them the truth while our God waits to return to His earth. He continues to create life daily and His faithful servants increase! Children easily believe who they are and from whom they came. They trust His promises. They are certain of His amazing works. They are baptized to mark them from birth as God’s own child. The stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob become their own history. Their Savior on the cross becomes their most trusted friend. They hope for that beautiful blessed end, alongside Grandma Greta and Marge.

Our world, however, has made this difficult to enjoy the simple beauty of childhood faith. Not only do they despise children, they pull faithful adults away from enjoying His gifts. They lead us to wonder if we have enough time, enough money, enough house, enough stability in our busy day. They lie to us about what is good: that being alone is wise, that taking care of “me” is honorable, that we are individuals that will be successful on our own. They ridicule our desire to learn the faith. They squash our yearning to express the faith. They steal and seize our gifts made for teaching the faith to our children.

But God continues to create children, right in our very midst. You are created to love and teach them His Word, from generation to generation. Even if these children do not come forth from your own body, you are given that ear that hears, that eye that sees, and that mouth that speaks. Share that beautiful simple confession with everyone of God’s beloved children. And they will know that He is their God, and they are His people.