Angels Among Us

It's just after noon here on the west coast, my little man is sleeping and the older two are racing Mario and Luigi around a virtual track on the Wii.   I've done a couple of sink loads of dishes, baked some muffins, and wrestled with what to write about today.  I've been meditating on Matthew 18 this morning.  There are some really big topics addressed in this chapter:  temptation, confrontation, forgiveness.  I have stories I could write about any one of these...perhaps I will at some point...but what God keeps laying on my heart is children. 
Jesus is clear about His love for children;  He is clear about the need to protect children from the evil in our world.  In verses 5-6 He says, "Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.  But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."  Wow...it's pretty clear that God places a priority on our treatment of children. 
As a mom, I try really hard to be a good example for my kids.  I do my best to teach them right from wrong, to guard their innocence, and to lead them in such way that as they grow they will make wise decisions.  There are times that I fail, there are times when my patience runs short, there are times when I don't make the right choices, and there are times when I snap under the pressure of trying to go it alone.  You see the trouble comes when I get stressed, when I have too many things on my plate, and when I choose to put other things in the place of the amazing job God has given me to do.  There are times too when my kids just get on my nerves;  they talk nonstop, they're loud, and they fight with each other.  They can be frustrating.  My kids trust me though, and while it is my job to discipline and train them, it is also my job to protect them from the world's way of doing things...which sometimes includes my actions and reactions.  When I consider my boys and when I really take the time to look at them, I get choked up...they are perfect and they are beautiful and they just need a mom to teach them, not to freak out on them.
I ask God every day to help me to be the mom He wants me to be, but just like every other parent out there, I'm not perfect...I'm human and I make mistakes.  Here's what I learned from Matthew 18 this morning though, verse 10 says, "See that you do no look down on one of these little ones.  For I tell you that THEIR angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."  Let's stop here...I'm not an English scholar but I'm pretty certain the word "their" or "theirs" is what's called a possessive pronoun.  It shows ownership, and in this case it is saying that children have angels that are specifically "theirs" .  I'm not going to pretend that I'm expert on angels;  all that I know is that they are real and that (among other things) they can be used by God to do his work here in our world.  My study bible talks about this verse and how certain angels specifically watch over children and how they have "direct access to God" (vs 10..."always see the face of my Father").  So here's what I get out of it:  if God is willing and available to be accessible for the needs of our children, shouldn't we make ourselves available too?   Let's not get so busy in our lives that we ignore our job to care for and to protect our children.  Let's not take them for granted and ignore the innocence that oozes out of them.  Let's learn from them, and love them as God has called us to.   It's a great responsibility, and one that Jesus was clear in His explanation of.  Nothing in this world, or in our crazy, busy lives should take precedence over something that God holds as a priority. 
I am awed by my God who protects His innocent creations with His heavenly beings here in our sinful world.  I am so thankful that though through my own sinful nature, I may fail my children, God has placed His angels over them, and has given them constant, direct access to Him. 
Look at your children today and ask God to help you to see them as He does.  Guard them from the evil in this world, protect them from sin, and trust that His angels  are among us, watching over them.