How our world treats its children

Morning: Psalms 2, 26; Isaiah 49:13-23; Matthew 18:1-14

Evening: Psalms 19, 126; Mark 10:13-16

We might like to believe that, in our world, we treat children the way Jesus did, with kindness and welcome. However, the WHO reports:

• Nearly 75% of children aged 2-4 (that’s 300 million children) regularly suffer physical punishment or psychological violence from parents and caregivers;
• One in 5 women and 1 in 13 men report being sexually abused as a child or adolescent;
• 120 million girls and young women under 20 years of age have suffered some form of forced sexual contact.

It makes you want to embrace every child you see as Jesus did, and bless them with love.