“Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:5-6, NKJV

The other day at church, I was asked to hold a friend’s baby. As I stared down into the beautiful baby’s dark eyes with long, curly eyelashes, I felt honored that my friends entrusted me with someone they loved so much. It made me think about how honored I am that God entrusts me with His children every day.

As teachers, we are entrusted with God’s most precious possessions every day. God holds children especially close to His heart. But the truth is we will face challenging children in our careers. Some will try our patience and make us want to pull our hair out. Yet, even if we can’t tell them about Christ openly, we must always point them toward Him through our words and actions. After all, the Bible clearly states that we must not lead a little one astray. We must give them new mercies each day. We must show them love and forgiveness. And above all, we must lead by example.

Father, Thank you for entrusting us with Your most precious gifts. Help us to live up to this trust. Please give us the strength to help the child testing our patience. And show us how to provide them with the grace and mercy they need. Amen.

Copyright Katina Wetter-Wright.

Katina is a member and an elementary school teacher from Indiana. In addition to teaching, she runs a blog, Reflections of a Believer, and wrote a book, The First 30 Days: A Challenge to Change Your Mind and Revolutionize Your Eternal Destiny.