The Beginning Of The Rest Of Her Life

I have asked Beth to remember this date very carefully: 21 June 2010.

On this night, she made the decision to open her heart to Jesus.

I was sitting at the computer watching YouTube videos about endtime prophecies, Barack Obama etc, and suddenly Beth asked, "How do you open your heart?"

I can't remember how or why the question came up. Only that I felt seized by a sense that something big was about to happen.

I asked if she was ready to open her heart to Jesus, and she nodded and climbed into my lap.

So I explained about us being sinners and separated from God, and about God sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, and how if we believe in our hearts that He is Lord, we will be saved and be part of God's family.

She nodded and I was satisfied that she understood.

So then we said a very simple sinners' prayer and I looked up the Navigators website. I found the Four Spiritual Laws and we went through that. I found the sinners' prayer and we went through that (by which time she was hinting that we'd already gone through it once).

I just had to make sure my 7 yo knew what she was doing, and that she was doing it with a clear mind. And of course, I didn't trust my memory of Scripture...

But of course, God had already been preparing her and speaking to her in His own way. So why should I be surprised? Why should I even doubt, I of little faith?

After all, Jesus Himself made a point of welcoming little children and exhorting grown-ups to humble themselves:

"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."
Matt. 18: 2-5

What's next?

Now I have to disciple my child so that she grows in her understanding of God and His Word. I don't even know how to do this, so God will have to show me.

My prayer is that this is just the beginning of her lifelong journey of faith, and that she will grow in wisdom and stature, in favour with God and man just as Jesus did. And as she matures, may she become a woman of spiritual depth, good works, love and purity and all the fruits of the Spirit, someone who has a heart for God and for the things above. May she use wisely and productively God's gifts to her of a sound mind, excellence at reading, comprehension, vocabulary, art and music.

May Beth be the first of many children to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour @ HXUCA.

A Parent's Reward

I am constantly awed by my children.

How wise they are.

How random their observations.

How pure their hearts (bless 'em!).

My 3 yo says to me out of nowhere as she leans her head on my shoulder: 'Mummy, I wuv you. We're best friends.'

A statement of fact.

Of affirmation.

It never fails to make me smile, and to give thanks to God for His gift.

To have come from the dysfunctional childhood that I did, and to now be able to savor the intimacy of a strong parent-child bond, is more than I could ever ask for.

Unless ye become like little children

During church camp @ Halls Gap in mid-April, we explored the theme of David and Goliath and what we should do with the "giants" in our lives.

Be they lack of self-esteem, the pain of the past, fear of certain things, these "giants" disrupt our lives, hold us back from being all that we can, and keep us paralyzed.

The kids explored the same theme in their program, and one of the interesting things they did was a pebble collage with the word PRAY made of black pebbles and a random pattern of grey/white pebbles around it. So they are reminded that Prayer is the answer when dealing with their own giants.

The kids also did an artistic interpretation of what their "giants" were.

Beth identified her "giants" in words and images: Grumpy. Fussy. Need to be organized.

I was astounded at her self-perception. And all this time I thought my many lectures (and private disappointments) about her mood extremes and her lack of self-discipline were like water on a duck's back. There for a moment - then they slide off and are lost. She's obviously done a bit of reflecting on her own, which I'm grateful for.

Jordanne's work was just as amazing.

She had coloured in what looked like a purple and black tornado right down the centre of her sheet.

When asked what her drawing meant, she said, "The monster in the dark."

"Is that what you're afraid of - the dark?"

"Yes, but I'm not afraid now. Because God is still here."

And she made that faith statement consistently throughout the camp to anyone who asked what her drawing meant.

Even now when the subject of Night and Sleeping and The Dark comes up, she says the same thing: God is still here. And she believes it with all her heart. I know because she no longer fears the dark like she sometimes used to. She simply acknowledges that it is dark, asserts that she is not afraid, and explains why: God is still here.

Children are the best demonstrations of why Jesus said we have to become like children to enter the kingdom of God.

How marvellous and REAL is our God, who talks to little children and helps them understand what adults sometimes fail to grasp.

Children Know...

A friend related this true story when we visited him last night.

Some 9 months ago, his 3 y.o. daughter went up to her mother and, pointing to the latter's tummy, announced, "You have a baby inside."

Mummy did a pregnancy test and sure enough, she was positive.

Baby is due in a few weeks.

Our friend checked with a few of his friends and they reported similar stories of the uncanny ability of their children to predict pregnancies before they were discovered.

I like to think children have a direct line to Jesus. :)

How Children Help Us Grow Up

I heartily agree with these comments by Australian designer Catherine Martin.

"Having children forced me to grow up. I enjoy life and don't tend to be as self-conscious or self-critical. I think it's one of the traits of creative people that you feel like an impostor and that you aren't interesting enough, but as you get older and have children it forces you to stop being childish."

I know I put off having children for years because I just didn't feel I was mature enough to be someone else's mom. I hadn't had a nurturing experience as a child and adolescent and the thought that I might inflict my emotional baggage on the next generation was chilling.

Having the girls has definitely opened up a side of me I didn't know existed. Now I know I can be nurturing, that I do have maternal instincts after all (whew!).

I may not have all the answers, but God will equip me to be the best mother to my children as I long as I remain in Him and remember that He loves them more than I do.

Still a baby

I watched Beth perform with the other Sunday School kids when we visited an aged care home today.

And as I watched her sing and do the hand actions and make herself part of the team, I felt such pride and joy.

I also thought, she's still a baby! I didn't say that to her of course, but it struck me how all the other kids (being much older) had lost that babyish quality that is visible on the faces of preschoolers. 

Beth, for all her obsession with word games and Harry Potter books, still has that quality in abundance. Her natural shyness and reticence just brings it out.

J is a baby still, even at 21 months. She has the fat rosy cheeks, fleshy thighs, cute little toes, perfect fat ankles and unblemished feet (lovely for tickling). She smiles readily and makes friends easily. I blush with pride when church friends go "Oh, she's just precious" and they offer to carry her if I'm busy. The kids pick her up and pass her around - and she lets them.

My two babies are gorgeous, each in their own unique way. Thank you God for blessing me with such adorable, lovely children. Help me raise them to praise you and revere your name.