Kids Are Expensive and Worth Every Penny

“…unless you repent and become like children [trusting, humble, forgiving] you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3

Some say that the average cost of raising a child is over $200,000. That number doesn’t include the cost of college. I know some people who come from large families that would disagree. 

Forgive me, I’m getting off-topic. My topic today is not about the cost of children, but their value. 

It is clear from the verse above that Jesus placed a high value on children and the innate qualities they have (and we all had). Today I want to tell you about some of the things my kids are teaching me (when I’ll listen). 

Love

I’ve always struggled to grasp the love that Jesus has for me, then I got married. I soon realized that my wife really intended to stick with me regardless and I intend to the same. That was my first glimpse of unconditional love.

Kids take this love thing up to a whole new level. Sure, they occasionally try to play hard to get when you don’t give them their way, but they have this unconditional love thing down! 

One example is still taped to the wall of my office. I was in a tough spot at work. I was working long hours, not seeing the kids much and they could tell I was stretched. I got these notes from them. I’ll leave the spelling how they did it!

• “Dear Dad – You are the best!!! I hope you will finish tax sesson soon. Love you.”
• “I love you. You love me. I hop you git tax season dun soon. You can do it. You are amazin.”
• “You can do all things through Christ who strethens. Love you a bushel and a peck.”

How awesome is that? Then, the other night all the kids decided to have a sleepover in the girls’ room. Currently, we have three girls in one room and our only boy in another room. Jill and I were getting bothered that they were staying up too late. 

Do you know what they were doing? Planning a “Thank You Mom” day complete with banners and tons of art. They had the whole living room decorated and muffins made before they would let Jill out of our room the next morning. Praise the Lord for painters’ tape or our walls would never be the same. 

Kids know how to love.

Faith

In Luke 18:17 Jesus told his disciples that if you don’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child, you’ll never enter it. Kids have amazing faith. When we tell them things they simply accept them as true. They haven’t built up all the walls for protection that adults have. 

This is a beautiful aspect of childhood that we parents must protect. But, we should also learn from our children as we protect them. We should learn how to trust others and God the way our children do. 

Forgiveness

My kids have the most wonderfully short memory. I can be all over them about not doing this or doing that and five minutes later it is as if it never happened. I can stew for days about how they should be obeying and then start pondering all the things I’m goofing up as a parent while they are ready to have some fun. 

Fun

Wow. Kids know how to have fun. They can turn a cold, rainy day into 100 different games, stories, and ideas. Their creativity is amazing. They have no filters to stop themselves from dreaming up amazing stories and games. When I let myself I can get into their world for just a bit. I can push off the work I haven’t done and the concerns about tomorrow or ten years down the road and just play. When I can, it is amazing. 

Sure. Our children disobey, disrespect, make messes and all do sorts of things to drive us nuts. But, if we’ll stop and admire their unique perspective we might get to see a little bit of the world through their eyes.

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