Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES

There was a baby dedication in church, and five-year-old Emma watched intently as the pastor poured water on the tiny infant’s head and said some important sounding words. Confused by what she saw, Emma leaned over and whispered in her father’s ear, “Daddy, why is Pastor Bob brainwashing that baby?”

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Mark 10:13–16, “And they brought young children to Him, that He should touch them: and His disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them ‘Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not; for of such was the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.’ And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them.”

Do you remember the comedy television show hosted by Art Linkletter called, “Kids say the Darndest Things”? The premise of the show relied in the fact that children are often guilty of saying some of the most embarrassing things, but completely truthful. And who amongst you, as parents today, can identify with that truth?

Art asked a 5-year-old boy what he wanted to be when he grew up. The little boy said, “A bus driver or a pilot.” Then Art asked him what he would say if he was flying a plane and all of the engines stopped. The boy thought for a moment, bowed his head, and then started to say, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…”

After a wedding, the little ringbearer asked his father, “How many brides can the groom marry?” “One,” his father said. “Why do you ask?” Because the pastor said he could marry sixteen,” the boy said. “How’d you come up with that?” his father asked. “Easy,” the little boy said. “All you have to do is add it up, like the pastor said: 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer.”

A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."

The fact is kids do say the darndest things. But sometimes those things have validity to them. Children can often be heard quoting and reenacting things they have seen or heard by their parents and others. In fact, in the Book of Ephesians 5:1, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.” This encourages us, like children who learn behaviorisms from watching their parents; to watch what God (our Father) does and then do it themselves. For example, a wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"

On an episode of “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” A 5-year-old was asked who the boss of his family was, his mother or his father. The boy answered, “bofe of them.” Art Linkletter then said, “Oh, so you’re a diplomat, huh.” And the boy answered: “No, I’m a Catholic Baptist.”

After that, Art asked a 6-year-old boy who he thought the most important man in the U. S. today. The boy answered, “George Washington.” Now, is George Washington married?” asked Art. The little boy answered, “Yes, sir.” Art asked if he knew what his wife’s name is and the child answered, “Miss America.”

One child was asked who his hero is. The child said that his dad is his hero. He was then asked why, and the child answered, “Because he is brave.” The final question was if his brave dad was afraid of anything. The child answered, “my mom.”

Then Art asked an 8-year-old girl, Karen, what she thought would make the perfect husband. She answered, “Well, he’d provide a lot of money, love horses, and would let me have 22 kids and doesn’t put up a fight.” Then Art asked the girl, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This little girl responded, “a nun.”

In John, 6:9, “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” How did this lad’s behavior personally changed or alter after watching Jesus in action? You can’t have a better mentor or role model than Jesus himself. And this reminds me of a pastor’s wife who was preparing pancakes for her young sons when the boys began arguing over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here,” she told them, He would say, “Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.” The younger boy turned to his brother and said, “You be Jesus.”