Hindering people because of my Annoyance

I can relate.

Upon the disciples shoo'ing away children whom they considered were pestering Jesus, Luke tells us the following:

But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them" (Luke 18:16).

As I read this verse I began to think of children approaching Jesus or any relatively benevolent authority figure, for that matter, with their problems. Children don't come with the biggest problems but they come with real problems. And, to them, such are the ones that really matter most.


A childish example. Thursday Night is typically the one night a week I don't eat dinner with my family. Last night I walked in to my youngest son, Gage, attempting to surprise me (which typically involves wearing a batman costume, eyes encased by those experimental goggles you're forced to wear for 11th grade Chemistry class, and a purple feather boa loosely affixed). He did nothing but plead his case over a dilemma: "Daddy, you're not putting us to bed, are you?" I typically put our children to bed every night (shower, brush teeth, etc.) and we have a good time. But they frankly take advantage of their mother when she performs the nightcap as it takes 3x as long and often turns into Cirque de Soleil on the bunk beds. So...yeah, they prefer that. So I assured Gage that, yes, Mommy was putting them to bed. But my mere presence on the scene, just minutes before bedtime, still disconcerted him: "Daddy, you're not supposed to put us to bed tonight." Seriously, even though I agreed with his statement, it took 8-10 times to convince him of this minor dilemma. But, for him, this problem was an obstacle to life itself.


The Annoyance. Are you like me: Ever just get worn down by others' seemingly minute problems and complaints? The couple that really shouldn't be together -- the woman knows it, the guy has latched onto her -- but she keeps lapsing back into the relationship and asks for prayer for setting up boundaries ("I don't want to not be around him. But needs to be limited."). Someone who asks God (and you) to pray they'd get more time to spend time with God or more time for church, yet has packed their schedule with stuff that entertains them. Or what about the couple who asks for prayer for more time together yet are never willing to leave their kids alone (you know, with like a babysitter). Okay, that's probably enough...you can sense my annoyance plenty.


The conviction.  (I speak the following not really as a pastor but as a Christian and brother-in-Christ). But if and when I convey half-hearted interest, if and when my prayers begin to wane for that person, and if and when I fail to hold out the same vibrant hope in the gospel of grace as I would to a seeking non-Christian, am I not hindering children from God's throne?  Avoiding such people in possible moments of encouragement or avoiding them by leaving off their names and concerns before the throne of God, seems to highlight a heart that's...well...okay with hindering -- because while such problems may not be the most important, to the person affected, they are very real. 


After all, my problems may be trite and annoying to someone else, but I hope they bring them before "the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).