40 Days with Jesus: Day 21

A United Methodist pastor in a small Kansas town decided to carry a cardboard cutout of Jesus with him every day for the 40 days of Lent. This series will document some of their adventures. We have affectionately taken to calling the cutout, "CJ" which stands for "Cardboard Jesus."

By Vicky Miller

I love little people. I’m talking about children. I work at a school where we have lots of little people, and I take my turn giving children’s sermons at church. This past Sunday I asked Jeff if, during children's time, Cardboard Jesus could move down from beside the pulpit to the area where the children and storyteller were sitting. It just seemed to me that's where he belonged.

I prefer little people one-on-one or in small, controlled groups, like children's time. I love to get eye to eye with a little guy or girl and hear about life from their perspective. Their innocence and spontaneity is precious.

I’m not fond of crowd control. Get a bunch of spontaneous little people in an uncontrolled environment and innocence flies out the window.

The disciples were trying to do some crowd control by rebuking the people who brought children to Jesus.

When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10.14-16

Cherish the little people in your life and see what you can learn from them about childlike faith.