I just want to share with you this story.
First it is important to know that I am passionate about keeping kids engaged and involved at church and in their faith.
One of my biggest concerns is of them walking away from the church one day.
These fears stem from my own experience and how I wished I would have stayed close to church during those important growing teenage years.
Yet grateful my parents laid such a strong foundation that I knew where to return when I remembered I needed Jesus.
Also a concern as I watch my son growing up in a world determined to pull him away from his Christian beliefs. I try to provide balance in his life but make sure Jesus is at the center of our lives.
I want church to be his choice and so far in his young life it has been his.
As he grows though it seems sometimes he wants an option to not go or not read the Bible. I try to give him his space and he always returns.
Maybe our prayer and bible time means something to him too. Maybe when I say “ok you don’t have to tonight”
he then maybe misses it and realizes it is special to him. I’m hoping anyway.
Now to my whole reason for writing.
Last evening after his fellowship with his pap pap and the men of church at the baseball game, he comes home wanting to play some video games.
It is late though, on a school night for such activities but this does not deter his desire to do so. He gets ready for bed.
You should know that we are in the midst of reading Prince Caspian together to support a loved one close to our hearts in his upcoming event on Sunday at church. So I am at this point tired and ready to read and get to sleep. He on the other hand has other ideas in mind.
Tonight my son wanted to delay the reading and play video games. But like I said earlier, it was much too late on a school night.
So we had a serious discussion. He actually enjoys discussing issues and having debates and making deals. It is always interesting I actually love listening to his mind work and hear his point of view on things. I feel as much as I try to reach him, he teaches me as well.
Tonight was different.
Tonight there was not a debate or deals. I was very serious and tired so I told him I wanted to read and get to sleep. He does not like when I am so serious. He wanted to be heard but as a parent discussions are not always up for debate. His and my best interest was precedent.
So he looks at me and says “mom,I think you need some Jesus” then he grabs his bible and flips through picking random bible verses and reading them to be. He even goes as far as to look on YouTube for worship music.
Let me tell you I was doing all I could to contain myself. God is so good! My son was flipping through the Bible by his own will and reading to me. One of those verses was
Philippians 2:6-11
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father
Then he said “mom, Jesus name is above all. We should kneel and say I love you Jesus!” So he was understanding and teaching me!
All my worry, All my concern washed away in that moment. All I can do is lay the foundation and one day he must choose to build upon it, on his own, by his own choice.
I am so thankful and grateful for such a wonderful church family that encourages, loves and support one another. It is truly important to stay close to a God and the church, the body of Christ Within that we establish confidence and strength
This pic is him looking for music to listen and his bible open to read. I could not be more proud in this moment.
openeyes21 