Are there crying babies in your church? Do the little ones occasionally raise volumes of vocal discontent to articulate some hidden distress? Does that perhaps irritate you enough to think, “Can’t they quiet that child?” or “Why don’t they just take him outside?” I’d like to share an experience that may help us focus on the blessing of crying children instead of the irritation.

Years ago, I attended a meeting related to my work. Seated across the table from me was a man named Chuck, who was having considerable difficulty concentrating on our agenda. Yawning and rubbing his eyes, he grumbled about how little sleep he had gotten the previous night because of the continual crying of their infant son. He was clearly focusing on the inconvenience of children instead of the blessing.

“Chuck,” I said, “I’d love to trade places with you.”

He stared at me, puzzled.

“My house is very quiet,” I explained. “Our infant son, our only child, died three days ago. Our house is quiet all the time.”

Psalm 127:3 says, “Children are an heritage of the LORD.” With no other options for expressing discomfort, an infant exercises his God-given powers to cry. Certainly it is appropriate for parents to take a fussing child out of a church service to some private area where they can determine the cause of the discomfort and seek a remedy for it. But when a little one’s cries are annoying to us, perhaps we should simply pray for the mother who is trying to comfort her child. And instead of becoming irritated and agitated over the distraction, let us thank God for the sound of life.

Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Mark 10:14

~ Pete Lewis