Spiritual Awareness

I can honestly say I love the stage of life I am in right now.  Having a 4 year old and almost 3 year old is awesome.  It's awesome because their personalities are coming out so much more, they are expressing themselves better, and lately the conversations we have been having about the Lord really and truly amaze me.

Peter

I never knew that kids could accept Christ so easily at such a young age and be so open to Him.  It is only of the Lord that they are like this.  I mean you should hear the way Julia talks about people in the Bible...it's as if she's met them!  We were watching Chronicles of Narnia tonight and one of the boys is named Peter...she goes, "Mom his name is Peter, did you know Jesus SAVED Peter!!!!"  She was talking about the disciple Simon Peter as if it were her very own brother.  Then she began to tell me about how Jesus saved Peter in the water when Peter tried to walk on the water.  I can't tell you how long my mouth stayed open.  This four year old knows her Bible!

Jonah

And quite honestly I know we have given her a foundation in the Bible and the Lord, but she really listens during Awana and at Sunday School because she re tells us the stories she learns with such passion..."Mom did you know Jonah got swallowed by a FISH...He didn't listen to God, MOM you know you have to LISTEN to God!!!"

In The Car

Okay, now Julia is four, she's the first born, she's a girl, come on we knew she was gonna be a smart cookie...but would you believe my 2 1/2 year old talks about God all the time too?  And he does not go to Awana or Sunday School yet!  So this I can really take a little credit for (you know mom needs a pat on the back every now and again ;))  In the car we've been listening to this Children's Bible CD (I am super strict about what we listen to in the car...classical, 99.1 christian radio station or CDS that we approve of, no other stations AT ALL--to me they are filthy lyrics and my kids don't need to hear them) and the songs on there are Behold, I stand at the door and knock, Father Abraham, I'm so happy, Noah and the Arky, Onward Christian Soldier, etc.  Well, every single time Behold I stand at the door and knock comes on Mark says, "Mom, is God here?" Because I explained to them how Jesus stands at the door of our heart and waits patiently for us to open the door and let Him in to our lives.  So he loves that Jesus is knocking at the door for him.  And he constantly tells me, "Mom Jesus is MY best friend."

After Julia heard the Onward Christian Soldier song a few times she asked, "Mom what is a war?  What are the soldiers?"  Oh dear, I thought how do I explain this one.  Well when we got home I got a jar of Marky's army men and I lined up soldiers on one side and on the opposite side I lined up another set of soldiers.  I explained that these soldiers on this side are on God's side, in His army, and the other soldiers are on the evil side, in Satan's army, and how they are at war with each other.  I explained how their is always going to be a good and evil and how God's army will one day defeat Satan's army forever.

The Cross


One thing I have always struggled with explaining is the whole death thing.  I don't even like to say the word died.  It's weird I know.  I know its a part of life, but I kind of wanted to shelter my kids from it.  So much so that I will say pass away, disappear, no longer with us, instead of just saying, "He died."  Well, Julia is not one to EVER beat around the bush.  She asks a million questions and she wants the complete answer, AND she can tell if you are leaving stuff out (she can even tell if we skip a sentence while reading a book, it's so not fair)   Well, she came over to me last week and said very proudly, "Jesus died on the cross Mom."  Yes, honey he did.  "He died on the cross because HE LOVES US.  He wants us to be close to God so he had to die."  Well, why was I afraid to talk about this?  Especially since Jesus died but rose again!  From now on I will not be as timid to explain death to my children.  I will not beat around the bush.  Because although death is a very sad thing, Jesus makes death bearable because if we know Him as our Savior death is not the end.  We will be with him in eternity the very moment we are no longer breathing here on earth.  What a promise.

So yes, my children are learning more and more about Jesus...and they are teaching me to have that innocent child like faith that just knows that God loves us, Jesus died on the cross so we can be with God.  Jesus saves.  We need to listen to God.  And God is here.

Out of the mouths of babes.