> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://amemamem.com.br/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # My Little Children - URL: https://amemamem.com.br/en/my-little-children/ - Published: 2025-08-14T15:49:18.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-09T01:04:27.000Z - Description: He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers… - Author: Airton Humber - Tags: #en, #de-meus-filhinhos ## A look from the Spirit Whoever walks in the Holy Spirit does not see the other as a stranger, a problem or an adversary. He sees a child who has gotten lost. This is God's perspective: to look at each person and see a child who has not yet come home. The New Testament shows this in a striking way in the expression used by Jesus and by the apostle John: “My little children…” (**teknía**, dear children, treated with affection and spiritual authority). ## From the Old Testament to the New The last verse of the Old Testament (Malachi 4:6) already announced the move of the Spirit: > *“He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers…”* The Old Testament ends with the promise of reconciliation. The New Testament begins with the fulfillment of that promise in the coming of Jesus and, later, in the sending of the Holy Spirit, who forms in us the same heart as the Father. ## The affection of Jesus and the apostles Jesus said to the disciples: *“Little children, I am with you only a little longer…”* (Jn 13:33), a farewell before the cross, with tenderness and care. John, at the end of his life, repeats several times: *“My little children, I write to you…”* (1 Jn 2:1, 2:12, 2:28, 3:7, 3:18, 4:4, 5:21), the language of a spiritual father. Paul also writes: *“My little children, for whom I again suffer birth pains until Christ is formed in you”* (Gal 4:19). All of them speak with affection and exhortation, revealing that the care of the Spirit is not only tenderness, but also a guide to the right path. ## The hen and the chicks Jesus wept over Jerusalem: > *“How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Mt 23:37)* This image is clearly maternal. It is the same heart as “my little children”: to protect, to shelter, to gather… but without forcing. The Holy Spirit attracts, he does not force. ## Becoming like children Jesus also said: > *“I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3).* The care of the Father and the protection of the Spirit are for those who come near with a **child's heart**: humility, trust and dependence. It is not about being childish, but about recognizing that **without Him we can do nothing**. The hen can open her wings, but the chick has to accept staying under them. In the same way, to inherit the Kingdom, we have to **return to the place of a child**, simple, trusting and obedient. ## The prodigal son and the freedom of love In the parable of the prodigal son (Lk 15:11-32), the father loves the lost son so much that he **lets him go**. He knew the son would make wrong choices, but he also knew that whoever does wrong does not know what he is doing, as Jesus said on the cross: *“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34).* The father in the parable acts as God did with Adam: he leaves him free to choose, even knowing that the wrong choice would bring pain. He does not control, but he does not break the bond. The return only happens in the son's own time, when he “comes to his senses” (Lk 15:17) and recognizes his mistake. When that happens, the father runs to meet him, embraces him and restores him. This is the freedom of God's love: He does not manipulate, **He attracts** (Jer 31:3). ## The same Spirit throughout the whole story From the Old to the New Testament, from Malachi to John, from Jesus to the apostles, from Jerusalem to the prodigal son, the message is the same: The Holy Spirit generates in us the heart of the Father. And that heart looks at the world and says: “My little children…” When we look this way, we do not see people to argue with, convince or correct; we see children to love, protect and lead back home. ## Conclusion “My little children” is not just an affectionate expression in the Bible. It is the look of Christ in us, tender, patient, but firm, which recognizes that each person is a beloved child, even if far away. Just as the Father did with Adam and the father in the parable did with the prodigal, the love of the Spirit teaches us to give freedom, to wait with patience and to run to restore on the day of the return.