I was not raised to have a personal relationship with God. I went to Lutheran and Catholic schools for the quality of their education and so I knew WHO God was. I knew the Bible as stories.Even so, I did not personally know Jesus.As an adult, I was so blessed to find my Savior. And now another great blessing... watching my children grow up knowing Jesus. From their youngest days they knew how very special they were to me... but even more how precious they are to the One who placed the stars in the Heavens.... to the One who created them. They grew up knowing that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Watching my children grow in their relationship with Christ has been truly awe inspiring. I remember my young son singing loudly and with great joy "Jesus loves me" with such enthusiasm that I had to bite my tongue to not laugh with joy. And there is something so uniquely beautiful and humbling in the heartfelt prayers of a child. Sometimes they are so short, I can not help but smile. Other times the wisdom of my children and their honest conversation with God remind me of what my relationship with the Almighty can be. Jesus encourages children to come to Him and holds them up to be an example to us all. "He (Jesus) called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:2-4
I posted this illustration by Eloise Wilkin from this Golden Book... her illustrations are always sooo sweet.... but my children never looked like these two cherubs when they prayed. They don't wear the "Sunday finest" that used to be the norm, they are rarely so innocent looking when awake... but my children when praying are one of the most beautiful sights I know. My heart overflows with gratefulness each and every time.
Posts
2 comments:
I love listening to my children pray, too. Mitchell (age 12) still gets the words mixed up at the end of his prayer and I refuse to correct it.
"In Jesus pray I may..."
On Sunday night, we have open mic to ask for prayer requests. I love hearing what they want prayer for, though I do tend to tense up just in case they say, "Pray my mom will stop having temper tantrums." LOL!
How precious that your children can know Jesus in a personal way. I used to help in children's church and loved listening to their prayer requests too. They know that God is interested in everything about their lives and He hears and answers prayer.
Post a Comment