Shhh!! We are in the Lord's House...

A few weeks ago I was assisting in a 4 year olds Sunday school class. When I walked in, the children were happily playing with legos and toy cars as the teacher was preparing all of their materials for the lesson. I went to sit with the children to play, and waited for what we would do next. When it was time for the lessons to begin the teacher ask the children to clean up their toys and make their way to the carpet. The children obediently went about their work, but one little boy decided that he would do the job with a joyful noise. He was not being bad, and he was doing what he was told, only with loud laughter and vivaciousness. The sweet teacher looked at him and said, “Shhh!, we are in the Lord’s house.” The little boy settled down and made his way to the carpet. But, that one comment made me stop and think. It brought back memories of my childhood in church, and all the times I heard those same exact words. “Shhh!, Kristin, be quiet, you are in the Lord’s house.” “Kristin, stop twirling, settle down, we are at church.” “Kristin, straighten up, fix your dress, stop wallowing around, you are messing up your hair.” I believe as a child I got the idea that church was no fun. I wanted to skip, run, twirl, and play, do all the things a child loves to. Instead, I was shushed. Jesus gave us a little different picture of how he sees children in the church.

“One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus to have him touch and bless them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But, Jesus called the children to him and said, “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.” Luke 18:15-17

I believe sometimes we can get so caught up in religion, just as the disciples were that we forget that God’s Kingdom is all about freedom. You see, children come to the Lord with total freedom; they hide nothing and hold nothing back. They do not worry about their clothes, or hair, or if they are laughing too loudly, they just want to experience life with freedom. Until they get shushed. As I think about this one on a deeper level, I see this happening in the church in other areas as well. There are many people sitting in pews across the world, whose lives are falling apart and they are shushed. They are in bondage to sin and they are shushed. “I am addicted to drugs, alcohol, pornography, over spending, food, ect. “ Shhhh!! “I am wounded from abortion and don’t feel I can ever be forgiving.” Shhhh! “My marriage is falling apart and I am in love with someone else.” Shhhh! “I cannot control my anger and I am hurting people in my life.” Shhhh! We are in the Lord’s house.” Church, who are we hindering and keeping from living in total freedom because we are shushing them? Let us be transparent, real, and FREE.