Being a parent is such a hard job. You never know if you're doing it right and it takes years to see the fruits of your labors. I think being a Godly parent is even harder. I try to teach my children about God's love and His plan of salvation through Jesus. My greatest desire is to see them join their baby brother and sister in heaven, but you can never really know what goes on in the hearts and minds of a child can you? So, I try to diligently plant seeds of faith and water them. I try to keep all the influences positive and ones that would nurture Godly characteristics within them.
Last week, I was able to see the harvest of some of the seeds I've been planting and watering. I was putting Bean to bed Tuesday night and she was her normal chatty-trying-to-stay-awake self. But as I listened to her chatter, all of the sudden, a very important question popped out of her mouth...."Mommy is God and Jesus in our hearts?" "Well Baby, do you want them to be in your heart?" "Yes, Mommy." "Then all you have to do is ask them to be in your hearts and obey what God teaches us." "Jesus, will you be in my heart?" Beanie prayed. And then she promptly passed out for the night. I delightedly rushed down stairs to share with Dh the miricle that had just occured. I must say I've struggled with pride thinking "I" did such a great job, but i know that I could never have done anything so miraculous as cause a little child's heart to turn to God...only God could do that, along with the help of parents, and a very outspoken 5 year old who Loves God. I only watered and planted but God in His awesomeness brought about the fruit. And the assurance that my 3 year old has a desire to have a relationship with God that I pray I will properly nurture during the remainder of her life under my roof so that she will cherish and serve God all of her days.
As if having this experience with Beanie wasn't great enough, Wednesday, when I was hanging out clothes, Rich called me in because he had just been asked the same question by the Boy. We talked to him about it, and he too decided to make the same step as Bean. I will now do my best to nurture him to become the man God desires for him. I hope and pray that Belle will make the same decision as her older siblings have and will not turn from it.
This post part ofGratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers.
