Skip to main content

Climate Change

She knelt at the altar with head bowed as tears began to flood her face.  Within seconds this lady was surrounded by three children (not her own).  Each one gently put a hand on her and closed their little eyes as they began to pray silently.  It was one of the sweetest altar times I have witnessed.  I could barely blink back the tears last Sunday as I watched this beautiful scene unfold and thought of Jesus' words, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  Mathew  19:14.

Sometimes it is hard to remember that when the whining seems incessant or they tear through the house like little tornadoes with hands that grab everything!  A week or so ago my family was in that crazy hour that we call dinner when one of those awe filled moments grabbed me.  The kids were asking for things faster than I could get them to the table.  The baby was in one arm refusing to be put down and my hubby was trying his best to match those annoying sippy cups with lids... couldn't they just all be universal?!  Meanwhile the food was getting cold or burned- depending on which stove eye you looked at.  

Then I heard Abby's little voice singing a tune that I had never heard over the mayhem.  The words were, "You can still walk in the dark."  Over and over she sang the words.  She loves to make up songs but usually they are silly.  Cameron and I both paused and looked at her.  I asked her if she made that up, and she said, " Yes, Mommy!  It's a song about Jesus and how he is with us."  Ok.  This mommy was floored and suddenly all the craziness and overcooked dinner seemed so much less important.  Here this little three year old was singing about my heart's life theme for the last three years out of nowhere.

"For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Then it happened to my husband a few days ago.  The kids were whining about who was going to tuck them in bed.  After the regular evening dispute was settled, Cameron walked Alena into her room and reminded her that Daddy was going to put her to bed.  "Ok," she said.  "Daddy and the angel."  Hmmm.  The angel???  Cameron was seriously curious now.  He asked our third princess what angel she was referring to.  She hopped in the purple Tinker Bell bed and slid under the covers.  Alena told him she had a dream last night about an angel.  She said the angel took her to heaven and she played with Makiah in her castle.  Ironically, she had been talking all day about playing with Makiah, but she never mentioned the dream so her grandmother and I just thought she was trying to sort through this whole idea of a sister she hasn't met.  Does God give dreams?  Yes!  The bible is full of dreams from the Lord.  But to little children?

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them..."

Sometimes the Lord grabs our heart strings when he wants to say something.  It seems these "aha moments" are pointing me to examine how I am raising my children.  It is so easy for our time to be swallowed up in what we will eat and wear (aka menu planning, grocery lists, cooking, and mounting laundry piles that seem to scream for my attention).  But what about the little hearts that we are shaping? I am convicted that as a mom, I largely set the spiritual climate for our home.  We have the power to create a culture of worship and to plant God's word deep in their hearts.  And we can pray for God to fill in the gaps where we fail!

So join me!  I have just discovered there are lots of great Hillsong Kids worship videos free on YouTube that I can pull up on my tv, and my kids love to dance to them.  I have been reading reviews about books to teach little ones scripture.  I know some of you have wonderful ideas or resources for how you disciple your children (or how you did)... So please share them with us!  Leave your ideas in the comments box and I will post them!





Comments

  1. ClaireAugust 28, 2014 at 8:50 AM

    Ohhh yes PLEASE! Matthew and I have been talking about how we can generate excitement for God's word in Annie. She loves Frozen (the only movie she has ever seen) and talks about it. We started reading through a little bible with her, and now she talks about John the Baptist "Putting soap on Jesus" (baptizing him, hehe), and other stories. I love that, but I want to keep fostering it. It seems that ANY input we give multiplies so beautifully, as God knows it does, but I know we can be doing more! I can't wait to see resources people share!

    And wow, how cool! How special to know God is working in each of them in unique ways!

    ReplyDelete
  2. RhondaAugust 28, 2014 at 4:36 PM

    Hey Rachel, thanks for this post. It's been on my mind a lot too as I start the new homeschool year, wanting to be in the world but not of it! We found a great new resource called Discover 4 Yourself Bible Studies. There are about ten of them abd Elizabeth is really enjoying them! Love from the Dausmans

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Deafening Silence

In a single second my life has been radically altered.  My precious gift from God, sweet Makiah Kaitlyn, has gone to be with Jesus long before her time.  I know in my heart that she is happy, but my arms are so empty... my house so dreadfully quiet.  I feel at times that a horrible blackness has enveloped me.  I feel as though my insides are screaming.  I am clawing and fighting to break out of this torturous body- to escape from this oppressive reality, but I cannot escape.  The dark anguish leaps on me again and again.  It sits on my chest and presses against my very life breath.  My heart feels utterly crushed and broken- pummeled into a thousand pieces.  Life as I knew it has been shattered and the shards that are left are painful and sharp.  Cutting me as I try to walk through them.  This is the valley of the shadow of death.  How dark is that shadow! Her room is perfectly untouched.  All of the dolls in her dollhou...
Post a Comment
Read more

Toes

Outside the sky is grey and dreary.  I feel it should rain torrents today.  I think the whole earth should cry out in grief.  I feel my heart pounding in my head.  My eyes will barely open, and I think no more tears can possibly come.  Maybe I will stand in the rain and borrow the tears from the sky. I look down at sparkly pink toes, and they are lonely.  Makiah, our last Sunday together you spent the morning in bed with Mommy (because I am on bed rest).  We ate fruit loops and snuggled.  We practiced drawing your letters and painted our fingers and toes.  You wanted rainbow toes, but I didn't have the colors with me.  I promised I'd paint you rainbow toes later.  Once we were all pink you said, "I got an idea!  Let's put sparklies over the pink, and you have to do it, too, Mommy, so we can be twins!"  You are such a princess!  So pink toes became sparkly toes.  We giggled and hugged and admired our matching fe...
1 comment
Read more

Wells of Living Water

My eyes filled with tears when my mother-n-law told me of her friend's idea.  This sweet lady, whom I've never met, wanted to know if she could do something special in honor of Makiah.  She said God had put it on her heart to start a well project for her.  She would sell "living water well charms" through Operation Blessing International to raise money to build a well for underprivelaged children in a poverty stricken country.  She said when 600 charms have been purchased, a well with a permanent plaque would be built to commemorate Makiah's life.  Not only was this an amazing idea, it was linked to my daughter's heart in a way that shocked me... What this thoughtful lady could not have known was that only 2 weeks before the accident, Makiah came into the kitchen on a Sunday morning carrying her whole piggy bank.  She told me she wanted to take it all to "give to the kids who need clean water."  The preschool class at church had been raising mon...
Post a Comment
Read more