Alycia Died Today

"But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, 'Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these'" (Mark 10:14).

Children hold a special place in the heart of God. This we know...because we read it in His word. Not only do we hear God declare "children are a gift of God," but we also hear and see Jesus elevate children above the cultural view of His day to a place of value and worth.

You've heard it said before, "Children should be seen and not heard." Jesus' disciples were part of a culture that believed and practiced this. Children had their place. They were not to leave their place. So on the day when Jesus was teaching and had so many important things to do, the disciples were not about to let children get in the way. (Boy, that mentality sounds familiar to the one being touted today when individuals make statements that portray children as an obtrusive object on the pathway to where I want to go and what I want to do.) As the children were being brought by parents to be blessed by the Son of God, the disciples begin to forbid them. Get the picture here...

They stand opposing the parents and children. Peter, James and John may have been good linemen for this week's Super Bowl XLII.

They speak to the parents: "Hey. He's teaching right now. He doesn't have time to touch your kids." Some parents try to slide through or skate around the defensive line.

When Jesus saw what His followers were doing, the response in emotion, words and actions convey a big deal. First of all He was indignant. In other words, He wasn't going to say, "Come on now guys. Let's take it easy." He was steamed. His attitude in this situation speaks volumes to those onlookers and the disciples to whom His words of rebuke were about to fall.

For in His indignation, Jesus instructed them to allow the children access to Him. "Permit them to come to Me." He wanted them near because to His heart they were and are dear. But that wasn't all He said. It wasn't just "allow them to come to Me," but it was also "don't you hinder them." Some translations read "and forbid them not." What is clear is that it made Jesus righteously angry to see His followers forbidding the children to be able to come to where He was. It clearly upset the Son of God that His disciples would be the reason they could not come.

And then they came. Those who obstructed the way stepped aside and the children rushed to be near Jesus. The beauty of what Jesus did reaffirms that children are special to Him. He took them in His arms, He placed His hands on them and He blessed them. They are not curses. They are blessings.

Unfortunately the mindset of the first century culture still persists today, though masked in different terms. Children are viewed as a means to an end. They are desired for what they can give us. This is often reflected in our language and speech. Yet our words betray Scripture.

If I had a penny for every time I've had someone make some snide, sarcastic statement about Sarah and I have children so close together or having so many (though I fail to see how three is "too" many), I could help water conservation efforts by taking baths in all my money. Had I listened to popular culture, Micah wouldn't be in this hospital bed next to me, the Lord would have had to work in my life through some other means, we would not have experienced the miraculous and mighty work of God and we wouldn't have a beautiful and precious child whom we love beyond words, for we would have stopped at two.

By the way, you may think I'm being unkind to you because you had two children and stopped. That isn't my heart. I struggle with those who criticize my position, and in essence curse my children who have richly blessed my life, because I didn't choose that route. Lord willing, the Buchanan household will grow even beyond this point in the future.

So maybe you are now thinking to yourself, "Who put the soapbox out for Justin today?" I'll tell you where this comes from. Alycia died today. She was two. She had biliary atresia like Micah. She had also had the Kasai Procedure like Micah. She was on a transplant organ list just like Micah had been listed on last summer. But she got sick and never recovered to a point where she was able to receive a transplant. Today, she died at age 2. And for good reason, I got angry. Because I hate that she died. I hate that she had to die. But I hate how our world often views and speaks of children as if to devalue them. Alycia has just as much value and worth as any other child healthy or sick. But whether the life is one just conceived, one at 33 weeks in the womb, one 5 years old or one 95 years old, because God created and sustains life and created us in His image, we have great value. Because God sent His Son to die on the cross for my mistakes, my mishaps and my moral failures, I have value. And whether the child is the first or the 15th in a family, he or she has as much value as anyone else.

I am saddened by the news of Alycia dying. Certainly there is no guarantee from moment to moment for any of us. Surely there is no guarantee that Micah will overcome the hurdles with which He is currently faced. But that doesn't matter. Whether here with me or in heaven with Christ, Micah is safe in the arms of God. Today's news about Alycia deeply troubled me concerning my own son. Yet I know He is near and dear to the heart of God. He continues to fight...to God be the glory!