Yesterday, Jack was carrying around the little orange Gideon Bible that Lily used to carry all the time. "My Bi-bowl," he says. He pretends to read it. I can't help but look at Jack and see a tiny little pastor. He loves to pray, his sweet little whisper prayers. When I hurt my back, he just kept praying all evening that Mommy's back would get better, and he still prays it at meal times. He loves to sing Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, and Praise Him, Praise Him. These are his favorite songs, and he will often be singing them to himself, or sit at the piano and sing them. He and Lily both ask for their Bible story after dinner every night, and Jack insists on holding hands when we sing and pray after the story. It is a precious time, and I love how he looks around at his family with a smile as he sings. He has such a precious little heart; he's such a love. I hope he retains that sweet spirit as he grows up. His dad did.
Some of the verses I read this morning reminded me of Lily and Jack, and my prayer for them. They're from Isaiah 44:
3 I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams.
5 One will say, 'I belong to the LORD ';
another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
still another will write on his hand, 'The LORD's,'
and will take the name Israel.
This is my deepest prayer for my children--that they would know they belong to the Lord, and would flourish like beautiful trees well-watered by the Spirit. I see the Lord working in their lives, and I long for the day when they really know Christ as their Savior and are confident in their adoption into his family. It reminds me that in my daily life, my chief goal is to point them to Christ, and to our need for him, rather than just parenting their behavior. It's a fine line sometimes. Lord, give me the patience and love for them to keep showing them you no matter what else is going on.
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