Joy

Last Saturday we made a shopping trip to the "Big Town", despite the fact I was feeling horrible.  A stomach bug of some sort had been making its way around town and it seemed that I hadn't escaped its path.  But nonetheless, we desperately needed to do some shopping, so we decided to go anyway.

While shopping, somewhere around mid-afternoon I was feeling horrible.  And Isaac was his usual talkative self.  "Look, Mommy!"  "Hey Mommy, watch this!"  We had to make a stop at Best Buy, and at one point, I was trying to decide on something and he was very eager to show me something of his own.  I guess I wasn't responding as swiftly as he would have liked, which made the "Hey Mommy"s more frequent.  So I mustered up strength to kneel down in front of him...

Me: "Mommy isn't feeling very good today, so you're going to have to be a little more patient, okay?"
Isaac: "Mommy not feel good?"
Me: (Shaking my head) "No." 
Isaac: "Mommy need go doctor?"
Me: (Shaking my head yes) "I might need to go to the doctor.  Can you give me a hug to make me feel better?"

Isaac gives me a big squeeze and while hugging me he says, "I'll pray for Mommy.  'Help Mommy feel better.  Jesus name, Amen.'" 

It took me a second to register that my 2 year old had just prayed for me!  Without Mommy or Daddy encouraging it.  He did it on his own!  And it's not even bedtime!  That's the first time he's taken it upon himself to pray at the moment he knew there was a need to petition to God...not just at bedtime prayer.  And that's the first time I heard him pray for someone about something specifically.  His prayers typically consist of "Thank you for Mommy and Daddy and Gracie..." (*Since then, he's prayed for God to help Gracie sleep good and for some of his friends to not get sick.)

My heart was so overwhelmed with joy that I immediately went and found Matt (who was pushing Gracie in the cart) and told him what Isaac had done.  And by golly, I sure enough felt better after that!!  The joy in my heart overcame any bug in my stomach.  I told Isaac I was so proud of him for praying for Mommy to get better, whereby he flashed us one of his priceless, big happy smiles. 

The next morning he came and climbed in bed with us after he woke up.  After a little while (and after he was well awake) he turned towards me and said, "I pray for Mommy" and said another little prayer for me.

I think I have a small glimpse of what Christian parents feel when their child chooses to follow Christ.  You pray for them every day.  You tell them about Christ and you teach them about God.  And you put your trust in God that He hears your prayers and you hope that He will answer them.  So when your children start to display fruit of what they've been taught, it blesses your heart greater than you would have ever imagined.  

I continue to pray that both my children will come to know Christ at an early age and live a life in pursuit of holiness.  Any work of salvation is purely a gift of God.  What a joyous gift it is when God chooses to bring salvation to a child!  I eagerly wait in hopeful anticipation.  

"Train up a child in the way he should go;
   even when he is old he will not depart from it." --Proverbs 22:6