So the other day, while waiting in the van for DH and DD at the kennel, I notice my 3 year old DS playing with some change and then out of the blue he says "God". So I inquired..."What about God, Garrett?" "God is for saving me." he replies and then continues on saying, "God is for saving everybody and this money is for gifts." So I asked, "Gifts for who?" DS says, "Gifts for God, Mommy!" Now, this may not seem like something significant to you but to me, to be watching my 3 year old arranging and stacking coins and hear him say that right out of the blue...I don't know, it just says something to me about the "faith of a child." DS didn't try to rationalize God's saving grace he just proclaimed it...very "matter of fact" with profound certainity. I think children have a innate spirituality and while we are born with a sinful nature, as children we are much more receptive and sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I hear it in the words and expressed thoughts of both of my children. Several weeks ago, on our way to a family outting, DS says, "There's God." So I asked him where God was (thinking there was a church sponsored billboard nearby). However, he pointed straight out the front windshield and said, "Right there in front of the car."
I want my children to grow up knowing and believing that Jesus heals their infirmities, cares about the little things in their lives, knows them (every part of them) and loves them unconditionally. I also know that sometimes, my flesh is very strong and I don't always "practice what I preach" so to speak. Many times I am weak, but then I hear and see the faith of my children in little things and realize that in my weakness HE is strong and that HE'LL use me in spite of myself to minister to my children. And in so many ways, HE uses my children to minister to me and to strengthen my faith.
"And a little child shall lead them..."
2 comments:
Those are the moment you never forget. When my DS was in pre school (I think, that was so long ago, my how time flies) any way “Once upon a time in a land far far away there was a sweet curly headed little boy sitting next to his mother in worship service and in his squirminess he asked to go get a drink of water. Knowing that his persistent request would only get more intense and the service has just begun I granted his request. He slid out of the pew and vanished into the hall way. I eyed the door knowing that the water fountain was only a few feet beyond and waited patiently for him to drink his fill and return. I waited and waited and waited. I braced myself for the sudden eruption of the fire alarm or power failure, you never knew what would happen with my darling DS. The seconds moved into minutes. How thirsty could the child have been? I began to wonder just which water fountain (most likely the one on the ground floor at the very end of the hall) he had chosen to drink from. I was second away from easing out of my pew to go searching for him when his little blond head popped back through the door and he skipped back to our pew and slid back into his seat next to me. I forcefully grabbed him by the shoulder and whispered in his ear “Where have you been?” Out of the mouths of babes is so right. His answer: “Ya’ll were doing the “Application of Faith” so I had to wait till ya’ll were done!”
Every time I think of this I am again reminded that we can affirm our faith every Sunday and say what we believe, but it is only until we actually apply what we believe to our daily lives, to live out our faith actively that it has an impact.
amen to both.
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