Guest Writer, Susan Dohse: The Kingdom of Heaven is Like K
But Jesus called them unto him and said, “Allow the little children to come to me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Luke 18:16
I have heard several sermons ranging from the innocence of children to having the faith of a child all opinionating on what Jesus meant by this statement. I have an opinion as well. I believe the kingdom of heaven is like K. I cannot include the true names of the children so I chose to use numbers and letters. After all, this is preschool.
I have been teaching special needs preschoolers for 21 years and it never ceases to amaze me the lessons I learn from those I teach. Take for example my little boy whom I will name #1. He has autistic-like characteristics. Those characteristics include being non-verbal, hyper-active, impulsive, and aggressive. Because of the last three characteristics, other children did not want to sit next to him, except for K. “I want to sit next to #1,” K tells me one day while I was getting things ready for Circle Time. “He can’t talk and I want to help him.” The kingdom of heaven is like K.
A few weeks passed and the snack was chocolate cupcakes. K had just taken the paper off his cupcake when #1 lunges for him and bites him on the arm. #1 left a mark but fortunately did not break the skin. After all the accident reports were completed, and phone calls made to both sets of parents I met with my staff to discuss a plan for preventing this from occurring again. The phone rang and K’s mother wanted to speak to me. I thought the worst: “Don’t let my child ever be near #1. Put K in a different class…..”. Instead K’s mother related to me what her son had reported, “It’s OK Mommie. He wasn’t being mean, he just thought I was a cupcake and wanted a bite.” The kingdom of heaven is like K.
Both of these children have moved on to school age programs, #1 to a program for children with autistic-like characteristics, and K to a regular education program. I hope there will be another child like K to befriend #1. I hope there will be another child like #1 for K .
The kingdom of heaven is like K.
susan
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
Some may say Paul’s Passing Thoughts are merciless. However, I think I’m seeing the gift of mercy here.
Arkansas Bill
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Bill, LOL! Ya, the email I am getting on this one goes like this: “Why did your lovely wife marry such a brutal person like you?”
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Aw, Paul,
You should have heard what the New Calvinists at SBTS told the press about me. It shouldn’t be discussed with young children in the room.
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Really? What’s that all about?
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A couple of years ago, I presented a summary of the errors of the patriarchy movement that has grown out of homeschooling at a counter cult apologetics meeting, and two professors at SBTS became quite inflamed because I quoted their teachings as well as the critiques of other theologians. (I also named several other New Calvinists along with them, but no one bothered about them, being outside the SBC, I suppose.) The press contacted these men, and I was informed by a reporter of the nature of the very unpleasant and personal things they had to say about me.
What gets me is that I only quoted their well documented and published teachings… I would have thought that they’d be proud of them.
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