Fred “Mister Rogers” Rogers was born on this day in 1928.

Many of us grew up listening to the soothing and reassuring voice of Mister Rogers as he entered his home, took off his jacket and shoes, put on his familiar sweater and comfy sneakers, and welcomed us into his neighborhood.

Fred Rogers devoted his life to the welfare and well-being of children through the power of television. “He was so genuinely, genuinely kind, a wonderful person,” said David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely on the show. “His mission was to work with families and children for television. That was his passion, his mission, and he did it from Day One.”

“I got into television because I hated it so,” Rogers said of his show, which became the longest running program on PBS from 1968 to 2001. “And I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen.”

In 2002, President George W. Bush awarded Rogers with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, for his contribution to the well-being of children and a career in public television that demonstrated the importance of kindness, compassion and learning.

As an ordained minister, Fred Rogers took a page from his master and teacher, Jesus. Jesus openly welcomed even the youngest child into his presence. In fact, he scolded his disciples for keeping the children away from him (see Mark 10:14). Jesus had a special place in his heart for children and warned his disciples that anyone who harmed them would be punished severely (Matthew 18:4-6). But anyone who welcomed a little child, he said, would be welcoming him.

That’s a good act to follow—show those younger than you the kindness and care you would give to Jesus.

But when Jesus saw what was happening, he was very displeased with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14).

To Do

Spend some time with a younger child today! Treat him or her to an ice cream, or read his or her favorite book. As you do this, remember Jesus and his love for children.

Also on this day . . .

Today is Rotten Sneaker Day.

Today is Big Bird’s Birthday.

1947—A blue whale weighing 180-metric tons was caught in the South Atlantic Ocean

1999—Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones became the first men to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon. The non-stop trip began on March 3 and covered 26,500 miles.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.