Kittens, so cute.
Puppies, also. Everyone loves their little yippy barks and their clumsy scramble across the floor.
Why do zoos see huge increases in crowds when a baby giraffe is born? Or an elephant calf? Because they’re cute. They tweak something inside of us, and we want to protect them.
It’s why, in time of disaster, we rescue the children first. We’ve heard the stories of the Titanic tragedy at the beginning of the 20th century. When the lifeboats began to board, it was women and children first.
Men who forced themselves onboard anyway were vilified. It’s the innocent we want to shelter.
God feels the same about mankind. Genesis 2:7 tells us:
“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
Man was the tiny kitten, the puppy, the baby giraffe, and the elephant calf. We were just starting out in life, and God’s heart was touched with tenderness. When things began to go awry, he wanted to rescue us from our sinking ship. He offered us his best. He gave us Jesus.
Psalm 127:3 reminds us:
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”
It’s our duty to let our hearts be touched by the innocence of those we care for, to want to protect them, no matter what comes their way. We are their lifeboat, and it’s our duty and our joy to transport them to safety, even as the ship sinks around us.
Jesus gave us a way in Matthew 28:20:
“[Teach] them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Shelter for the innocent comes from the knowledge of the Lord. Knowledge begets faith, and faith becomes our firm foundation in the Christ who died for us.
When we share stories of our connection to Christ, we build the foundation stones of the future, and we provide shelter for those who need Jesus most.
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