January 5th, 2010…a day of NEW LIFE AND CELEBRATION IN THE AYER HOUSEHOLD!!
Caleb, my incredible 5 year old, just accepted JESUS as His Lord and Savior today!! WE are so excited, thankful and in awe of God’s grace. These moments as a mom are unmatched in my heart. The years of praying and teaching and shepherding are worth everything to stand with your son in the moment he prays and KNOWS he has been chosen!
I have to share the story. (It is my prayer that many others will find the HOPE in Christ just as Caleb did this week!) This year I ventured out into some new homeschooling territory–it’s a bit ecclectic and maybe a bit more work, but after homeschooling for a couple years there were certain things I had to find this year. The biggest was a solid, Biblical, foundational Bible curriculum–I wanted one that focused on God’s Word, His purposes, His heart for His people in every nation. I FOUND IT!! I thank God for Caleb Resources–they are faithful to proclaim God’s heart for the nations through all their resources. I found a curriculum promoted to be used in church settings alongside the Perspectives Course. This curriculum for kids is called OUTSIDE THE LINES: Connecting Kids to God’s Global Purpose. It is really set up to teach a large group of kids and includes CD/DVDs for all ages from Preschool to 8th grade…so it was an investment, but I felt really strongly that it might be just what I had been praying for…it is amazing! The songs are all tied directly to the lessons and are straight Scripture passages, so my kids are singing God’s Word and hiding it in their hearts!! THEN–here in week 5, the curriculum teaches the ROMANS ROAD!! I was too excited! So I tried to teach it on Monday night with Dave here and all the kids…but, it didn’t go so well…everyone was a little goofy. But, I felt the pressing of the Spirit to obedience to try again. So, Tuesday morning, this was my priority. I made our own Romans Road with all the ‘road signs’ and Heaven was at the end, complete with beautiful candles…I was praying, asking God to move…
Romans 3 : 23 “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.”Romans 6 : 23a “For the wages of sin is death…”Romans 6 : 23b “BUT, the GIFT of God is ETERNAL life THROUGH Christ Jesus our Lord.”Romans 5 : 8 “God demonstrates His own love for us in this; that while we were still sinners, Christ died for US.”Romans 10 : 9 “If you confess with your mouth, JESUS IS LORD! And believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you WILL BE SAVED!”John 1 : 12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD…”
Each ‘sign’ along the way had a picture…the most powerful are the ones showing the vast gap that our sin has caused between people and God…there is NO WAY to reach Him UNTIL Christ Jesus dies on the cross forming a bridge over that gap–giving us access to the HOPE and security of ETERNAL LIFE with our Father. I think this picture is what helped Caleb understand his need for Jesus. He has always had a very special spirit, especially towards things of God, but throughout this last year–his journey has been one of deepening his understanding. He could say all the right answers, but would articulate that he didn’t really understand why Jesus had to die and why he needed a Savior. As we talked I explained on a kid level how Jesus took a punishment that WE deserved. Then we talked about Heaven–how beautiful it will be, how amazing to be in God’s presence…to worship, to never cry or say good bye. Caleb was thinking. He didn’t respond, but at the end I told them how they could ask Jesus to come into their hearts and I prayed an example prayer with them. I told them they could pray it anywhere, anytime they were ready, but to PLEASE tell mommy and daddy so we could rejoice with them and help them! So, we finished our time in prayer and the kids ran off to the next event. I felt a bit confused. I thought he was there…in God’s timing. I knew I had been faithful to what God had called me to for that day…so off to make eggs.
About 30 minutes later, Caleb emerged from his room grinning, “Mommy, I was just thinking…”Of course I stopped and got down at eye level, “What were you thinking about?”“Oh, I can’t tell you,” he said giggling.I put my ear up to his mouth and told him just to whisper it to me.He said, “Mommy, I’m ready!”My heart leaped and my eyes filled with joy…isn’t this the moment we pray for?!“I want to accept Jesus.”So, we were teary together as Caleb prayed a simple but profound prayer as he entered God’s kingdom.“God, thank you for everything you have made. THANK YOU THAT I AM YOUR CHILD. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
Later in the day, I was reading a book while trying to exercise!! In it was a God-ordained quote for our special day from J.I. Packer…
“If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all. For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new and better than the Old, everthing that is distinctively Christian, is summed up in the knowledge of the Father hood of God the Father.”
We celebrated. A lot. In fact we have been all week…Caleb called Daddy, called Tera, called Leah, called Nanna & Boppa…he wanted to call more, but no one was home…so we kept celebrating!
Later in the day, he came out of his room again, his bright eyes more radiant than ever and now filling with tears. He giggled again, “Mommy, I just keep thinking about Jesus…I’m all teary but I feel like laughing all at the same time!” I told him that’s exactly how I felt too.
That night we had a ROYAL dinner…we all dressed like princesses and princes. It was perfect by God’s grace.
Every morning since then, Caleb has come out in the morning with a sweet spirit…He says, “Mommy, I was just laying in my bed thinking about Heaven.” He has kept my eyes on eternal things all week. I am loving being this precious one’s mommy.
I am praising our my Savior that Caleb understands the most profound truth–that he was created and CHOSEN by his loving Father in Heaven–and that HE IS A CHILD OF GOD…
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