As parents, it is Jared and my hearts' desire that our children will come to know the Lord and make Him first in their lives. There's nothing more important than that - not academic excellence, nor athletic prowess, but a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit with a desire to love the one true God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. I can't tell you the sheer delight and utmost joy when your child tells you that he wants to ask Jesus to live in his heart. And that's exactly what Joshua did today!
We were driving to, coincidentally, the first day of Vacation Bible School this morning. I had put in the VBS CD which we received at our church retreat a couple of weeks ago. One of the sweetest sounds to my ear is to hear my children singing along to worship music. It so happened that one of the songs on the CD is a rendition of Chris Tomlin's Indescribable.
When the phrase "You are amazing, God!" was sung, Joshua cried out, "God IS amazing!". And he continued to exclaim how much he loves Jesus and that he can't wait to see God and see heaven. I love it when Joshua starts talking and getting excited about Jesus. A lot of his questions, while valid, are difficult to give age-appropriate answers to where a 6-year-old can understand (that is why I'm so glad I married a pastor! I default all exegetical and theological questions to Jared!).
In the midst of our conversation, Joshua asked if Jesus was in his heart. And I said that he had to ask Jesus to come into his heart, and I asked him if he wanted to do that. Immediately, without a flinch, Joshua said "YES!". I explained that this is the most important decision in his life, "Daddy made his decision when he was young, and mommy made her decision when I was 12. Now you have to make your own decision."
Me: Do you know what it means to have Jesus in your heart?
Josh: It means that Jesus will take away my sins.
Me: And what is sin? (at this point, I just wanted to make sure he understood the basics! I was driving and couldn't really draw the bridge diagram!)
Josh: It's when we don't listen to God.
We continued talking a little bit more about sin and what happens when we continue to sin even after Jesus is in our hearts. And in his cute 6-year-old rationale, Joshua said that God forgives us, and it just means that He doesn't give us time-outs or strikes! He was really excited about that! (I think I'll need to have a conversation with him about consequences of his actions and ownership at a later date!)
After I felt like Joshua understood what it meant to receive Christ (his theology may not be as sophisticated as us grown-ups, but I felt like he got it. But what gave me peace was that he truly LOVES Jesus and is not ashamed about it, and he KNOWS that Jesus loves him "in the whole wide world!" and "to infinity and beyond!"), I asked him if he wanted to pray the prayer right now. And again, he said "YES!".
An appointment with heaven was about to occur. I didn't care where we were or where we were going, I had to grab this opportunity right now. His eager little heart is ready, and I can just picture Jesus kneeling down, arms open wide, ready for Joshua to run into His arms.
So, I pulled into a parking lot by McDonald's on Higgins Road, and found a spot under a tree. I got out of my driver's seat and went back to where Joshua was sitting. I knelt down, held his little hands, and looked into his big brown eyes. I asked him if he was ready to pray to Jesus. With a sparkle in his eyes, he said "Yes!". So, I had him repeat the prayer after me. I almost couldn't get through it because I was so choked up. But we did. And my Joshua gave his heart to his true Father. What a glorious day!
As we prayed, I can imagine the angels and all the heavenly hosts rejoicing, dancing, and singing! I can picture the angels chanting "Josh-ua! Josh-ua! Josh-ua!". There's something special and unique when a child gives his or her heart to Christ. Oh, the celebration in heaven! I can only imagine! And Jesus did say "Let the children come!"
And as a mom, I had the joy, priviledge, and honor to be the one who got to pray the prayer with my child; to be the one who led him to the feet of Jesus, and presented him, like Hannah did with Samuel. But the greatest joy is knowing that Joshua made the best decision of his life. And I rest in the knowledge that Joshua will be worshipping with me in heaven some day!
Holy moments take place all the time in our minivan. We have the best conversations and the best worship sessions. But holy moments can take place anywhere. I believe that we just have to look for the opportunities, teachable moments, and ultimately, promptings of the Holy Spirit, to have those conversations and moments with our kids.
May you be blessed by Joshua's salvation story. By the way, he's always asking if heaven is bigger than BJ Raji. He's going to be blown away by how big heaven truly is!
(this pic was taken the same day that Joshua gave his heart to Jesus!)
But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:14-18
