The Worst Four-letter Word

by John Comer

Ecology takes strange twists. It’s not just about bugs and trees and clean water. Ecology is also about the relationships between human groups.

Recently I heard a public service message on television which asked the intriguing question, “What is the worst four-letter word a child can learn?”

CAN’T --that’s the worst word. And we can add to this that convincing a child he or she is no good is itself a form of child abuse. It just leaves different scars from other forms of abuse.

Scripture indicates that we are to treat our children in a positive, constructive way. We are to build them up, not put them down. When Moses was born, his mother “saw that he was a fine child.” Every child is deserving of such words. The Proverbs of Solomon remind us, “Train up a child in the way he should go,” and “. . . A child left to himself disgraces his mother.” Each child should be loved and appreciated for who he or she is and is deserving of dignity, respect, and encouragement. One of the Psalms of Solomon says, “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.” Such gifts from God have great value and each should be treated as a worthwhile individual with godly potential.

Jesus was an up-with-children person who said to children, “You can.” One day when parents were bringing children to him, his disciples rebuked them. (Hear the CAN’T in their voices.) But Jesus “took the little children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”

More than a touch of glory was in Jerusalem the day Jesus rode the donkey down the mountain and made his triumphal entry there. People shouted, paved his way with their cloaks and tree branches. He cleansed the temple, and the blind and lame came to him for healing. Children were part of the glory as they shouted in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The chief priests and teachers of the law were indignant. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked. (Hear the CAN’T in their voices.) “Yes,” Jesus answered, and reminded them of something from the Bible:

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise. To the children God says, “You can.” We should say the same.