First Day of School

Today is the first day of 2nd grade for Joshua.  How did 7 years fly by in what seemed like a blink of an eye?  I must admit, I get as nervous and anxious as Joshua does!  With the start of each year comes a blank slate.  What will this year hold?  What will he learn?  Who will his best friend at school be?  What will be his favorite subject (it thrilled me to no end that he said that his favorite thing to do in school is writing...and not recess!!  He even bought a journal!)?

With the start of each year also comes lots of prayers.  I pray especially for the teachers, his classmates, and for protection over the school.  Prayer is the only thing that keeps me sane while Joshua is away from me.  Prayer is an acknowledgment that God is greater, that God is in control, and that God is watching over my Joshua and is with him when I can't (He's the omnipresent babysitter!).  Last year, I invited a couple of moms from Joshua's class over to our home for some fellowship and to spend some time praying for our children.  I believe that there is a great battle going on over the hearts, souls, and minds of our children.  We need to be warrior moms who will go into battle for our kids.  God has equipped us with the gift of prayer as our weapon.  And nobody wants to mess with a group of moms who have donned their armor and are wielding their swords of faith, right?  So, I'm looking forward to our battle prayer time with the other moms from school.

 

¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." (Ephesians 6:13-18)

Joshua didn't want to get out of bed this morning, even though we started getting him up early last week so that he'd get used to it (he's such a teenager-wannabe!).  Eventually, he did after much coaxing and threats!  We finished breakfast, got dressed, and took the traditional first day of school pics.  As we walked to school, I wondered...will he still hold my hand??  And he did!  And that just made my day!  I remember telling Jared that this may be the last year that he'll hold my hand before he thinks it's uncool!

Anyway, I sent my first-born off to 2nd grade this morning, and I'll have a couple of weeks for my mommy heart to recover before sending Jenna off to preschool.  I thought that with each passing year, the first day of school will get easier.  Well, it isn't for me.  It's not just a rite of passage for the children, but for the parents too.

In honor of the first day of school, below is a blog post I wrote for Joshua when he started kindergarten!  It still brings a tear to my eye...

Enjoy!


The night before the first day of Kindergarten...

We picked out your clothes...you wanted to wear your new football t-shirt.

We packed your backpack, and placed it by the door...I'm so proud of you for not complaining about not having a new bag, and you are perfectly happy with the Toy Story backpack from last year.

We snuggled into your bed, and read a new book about the night before kindergarten...you were so excited about all the new things that you would learn this year!

And we prayed together...for a good night's sleep and thanked God for the many blessings in our lives, especially for Kindergarten and that it's finally here.

I kissed you good-night as I always do, and as I turned off your light, you said to me "Mommy, I'm growing up! I can't wait to go to Kindergarten tomorrow!"

"Yes, baby! You're going to Kindergarten! And I'm so proud of you!" But as I said those words, I fought back tears, and I felt something squeezing my heart. For I never thought this day would come. Okay, I know it's just Kindergarten...but time is zooming by like the speed of light, and I can barely catch my breath before the next milestone appears. So, on this night before yet another milestone, I want to capture the moment and store it in my heart forever. I feel like this is the first step of me letting go, as if my pinky finger is being pryed open...slowly, but surely, I have to let you go.

But as I let you go, I know that you are not going alone. I pray that you will know that God is with you...and my heart goes with you, too.

So, on the morning of the first day of school, this is what I saw...



But my heart saw this...





And when you sat in the car, I turned and saw this...



But really, this is what I saw...




And when I hugged you goodbye and wished a great first day for you, Daddy took this picture...



But these are the pictures that are etched in my heart...





I love you, Joshua!

Joshua's Salvation Story

Today, July 16th, is a day that I will never forget and will forever be etched in my heart.  It's one of the best days of my life, and for Joshua as well.  He made the most important decision of his life, and I am so blessed, honored, and priviledged to be a part of it!

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