Children, Millstones & Sin.

“And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.” (Mark 9:42, NIV)

Wow. Harsh words, indeed, from Jesus. Yet there is an important message in Jesus’ teaching that cannot be missed. No, he wasn’t suggesting suicide…

As leaders in Children’s Ministry, parents, and adults in general, we have a resounding influence in the lives of kids that we care for. Children, new to the world and still trying to understand it, turn to older people, those who have had plenty of experience in life, for guidance. As the anti-smoking ads say, children will copy what YOU do.

Also, children look up to you! They want to be like you! They may never say it, but it is true. Never underestimate the impact that you have on a child’s life. They may not be Big Brother, but they are always watching you, copying you, learning from you.

So, the spiritual well-being of a child is the responsibility of his parents and other adults that guide him through life; it is up to us to teach him, through our actions as well as our words, to live a Godly life, instead of the opposite. To quote my friend’s study bible, ‘When you cause a child to sin, you darken two lives.’

Even small things that you do in front of kids will have a large impact in their lives. So make sure that you sow good things into their lives through even the little actions that you do, because you will reap what you sow. Who knows, maybe one of those little, insignificant actions will have a strong, lasting, positive impact in that kid’s life for years to come!