Let the little children come to me.
—Luke 18:16
A fictional story pictures a famous architect gazing proudly at his magnificent, just-completed cathedral.
Then, his eye is drawn to a scrawny waif at his elbow. Abused? Abandoned? Homeless?
If he had to make a choice to save the cathedral or the little girl, he ponders, which would it be?
“Some of [Jesus’] disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones.” Jesus said, “The time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down” (Lk 21:5, 6)).
“Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.’”
There they stand: a cathedral and a little girl. Which is the most important?
Things don’t have feelings; people do.
Things aren’t God’s children; people are.