How many times as parents do we try to impart wisdom into our sweet babies and say things like, " God loves you so much!", "God sent his son to die for you, isn't that awesome!" and drop hints at every corner that Jesus is the way, to just be dismissed and overlooked by the next page of a book, or the sound of Dad coming into the room. I try so hard to teach my kids that they are longing deep down inside for the love that only one person can fill, and end up feeling defeated that no one hears anything that I am saying.
Well, here is just a tiny bit of encouragement, nothing mind blowing, or life altering, but for me it was just enough of an affirmation by God that they are listening and that they accept and believe far more than we think they are.
We started reading the story of Joshua and the Battle of Jerico. After singing the song and going through what it meant to walk around the entire city, and the walls coming tumbling down, we prayed. Grace opened us up with the sweetest words, " Oh Lord... you are just so amazing and powerful. We can not see you, but you see us and you love us. You created all of our hearts. My heart, Fisher's heart, Mommy's heart, Harper's heart, Daddy's heart and everyone in the whole world. You love us and you sent your son to die on the cross for our sins." She then went on to name about 25 things God created and loves and ended with, "we love you." It was so sweet and heart felt and lacked any doubts or fears or concerns.
After we were done, Grace asked me to come to her room and bring the bible with me so I could show her the picture of Jesus on the cross. The particular bible I was reading from is a kids bible but the illustrations are not "car-toony" at all. They are very real looking. I flipped to the page and showed her the picture and she just stared and took it in. She started commenting on the nails and the rope and the tattered clothes and then she noticed the blood. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and asked me "Why mom?", "Why would they do this to him, they scratched him and hurt him and made fun of him?" I got to explain all of the awful things that they did to him on the cross and the blood that was shed, and then I got to remind her that he did this for her. That is was her sins he was dying for and the this was the only way that death could be conquered.
It was so tender.
It was so sweet.
It was so raw for Grace.
After that she looked at me and said. "Mom, they must of done it because they didn't know."
What truth in such a sweet child. We then got to look at the pictures of the stone being rolled away and the empty tomb and I got to explain that now Jesus was able to be in Heaven, and that now we have a way to be in Heaven with him.
It was only a couple of minutes, but it was such a sweet moment with Grace. I told her that whenever she is ready we can talk about what it means to have Jesus live in your heart and how before she was born, Preston and I have been praying for the day that she would accept this gift. Which she told me she wasn't old enough to have yet :)
In the midst of all the crazy, they hear us. In the midst of all the fighting and tattle-telling, they hear us. It was such an encouragement to me to keep pressing on. To keep fighting for the moments to bring it all back to the cross. Ultimately, only God can save, but what a blessing to be used in this world to share the good news. Often times my heart is burdened over who I need to be sharing the gospel with and my neighbors and family that are lost, but there are 4 kids living in the same house as me that are in desperate need of a savior. I long for them to hear the truth and I am so blessed to be apart of their lives.
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