"And a little child will lead them..."

This past week was VBS at our church. The Kid had a grand time. He really got into the missions offering competition and he loved the music. He was inspired also to ask almost everyone he saw outside of church, "Do you love Jesus?" On one day this week, we were in and out of the car several times running errands. We could not leave each place until he had asked the person attending us if they loved Jesus. Everyone of them said they did and most even muttered something about his cuteness.

I thought, after the first one, that he was very cute, too. I was so proud, as well. But after the second one, when I had to turn around and go back to the counter so he could ask, I realized how perfectly serious he was. He meant business. After the third or fourth one, I asked him, "What will you do if someone says 'No'?" His response: "I will just have to tell them about Jesus so they can love Him, too."

As I was sharing during VBS about our missions offering and talking about KD's sacrificial love and service for Jesus and how she is always looking for, even creating opportunities to tell others about Jesus, I realized that I have a bold missionary living in my own home. I also realized that I have the power to squash or encourage his desire to see others know Jesus. Most of all, I am reminded that I need to join him, not just watch him, as he tells others about Jesus.

Lord, please help me to have open eyes and heart for people who need You. "And a little child will lead them..."

A Little Hug Will Do It!

I am officially a full-fledged member of the sandwich generation - with a mom and a grandson both living in my home. I feel hugely responsible for the happiness and well-being of both - for two very different reasons....my mom, because she cared so unselfishly for me when I was growing up (and even still) and The Kid, because, well, he's a kid with flaked-out biological parents. What's been so fun to watch is the special relationship developing between the two of them. Gran's room is The Kid's haven (he even has a special sitting place on the end of her daybed) and, more than once, I've seen The Kid make Gran smile when no one else could have. (And for some reason, she always seems to have marshmellows and candy whenever he wants them. I don't seem to remember her having those when I was a kid!)

Well, Gran has been in the hospital alot lately and The Kid feels her absence in the house. He said, "Something feels different in this place" the second night she was gone. And tonight he called the hospital to ask when she was coming home.

One night, as he visited Gran in the hospital, he gently hugged her and watched the monitor to see if his hugs would make the numbers climb. He prayed over her silently bowing his head and talking to God in her behalf. Then he met her attending nurse. Before leaving the hospital, he had to talk to the nurse. He said, "I have a tip for you. If you will hug my Gran alot, her numbers will go up, and she will be better soon." A little later as we left, he reminded the nurse, "Remember my tip. But be gentle with her."

Both extremes - a kid and a great-grandma in one home. Some days it makes my life so busy and sometimes it's even a little hard to choose who I need to be with, but most days are a blessing as I watch from my vantage point each one learning from and teaching the other. The Bible is so clear about the older ones teaching the younger ones...I get to see that in my home everday!

My prayer is that God will slow me down enough to remember that gentle hugs make numbers go up and we all feel a little bit better afterwards.

Just Like Me.....

A wise person once said, "The footsteps a child follows are most likely to be the ones his parents thought they covered up."
Following is a personal case in point.....
Company was coming soon and the house needed cleaned up - quickly. The Kid offered to clean his room and off he ran. He even ran out to the laundry room to get an empty laundry basket to fill. Now I knew there were no dirty clothes in his room, but who was I to stop him and his zealous efforts to clean up? I was one proud mom! Proud, that is, until a short time later, I saw him dragging the laundry basket filled with the toys from his bedroom floor into the computer room. (That just happens to be the place I usually drag my stuff to hide it from company!) As he closed the door to the computer room and announced that he was done, there was nothing I could do but laugh out loud!
My momma always said "what goes around, comes around." I knew, at that moment, exactly what she meant.
My question is this: Why do kids do so well copying the bad habits we have while completely missing the great stuff we try to model?
I have two thoughts at this point:
1. You never know who's watching, so be careful to "be an example..." I want to be able to say, with confidence, like Paul did..."Look at how I live and copy me..."
2. You might be able to hide junk in the computer room, but you can't hide a thing from God! (Or your kids!)