Sweet Kids, Sweet Jesus

We were getting ready to put Ella in bed last night when she looked up at me and said,

"Do you want to know what I was doing over the heater this morning?" (Our kids love to sit on the heater vents to warm up in the morning)

Me: "What were you doing?"

Ella: "I was going like this?" Opening her mouth wide and putting it really close to the ground.

Me: "Why were you doing that?"

Ella: "To make Jesus warm."

Me: "Oh, but is Jesus in your heart? We haven't prayed that yet..."

Ella: "I prayed by myself to have him in my heart."

Me: "Well, that's really something that Mommy and Daddy would like to do with you. We can do that tonight..." I call Cory in. He finishes getting her ready for bed and I leave to pray with the boys so that we can both be with Ella as she asks Jesus into her heart. As I walk back into her room, Cory says,

"Would you like to know why she would like Jesus in her heart?"

Me: "Why??"

Cory: "So she can have juice and bread with us at church."

Nice.

She's been asking lots of questions lately. Talking about wanting to have Jesus in her heart. I've asked her questions. She's asked me questions. It's always so amazing to watch their little minds as they try to understand it all.

Caden first started asking questions in January of 2007. Lots of questions. We were talking one night before bed and talking about how when you have Jesus in your heart you get to go to Heaven. His chin started quivering. His eyes got really sad. He said, "but then I'll miss my Molly dog." Molly is his most special stuffed animal. His Papa and Grandma gave it to him when he was a baby. He sleeps with her every night. In his sweet head, he was so worried that he would go straight to Heaven once Jesus was in his heart. I explained that that was not the way it worked. That only God knows when our days will end. That you will only go to Heaven when God is ready for you to go. In February 2007, Caden asked Jesus into his heart. It was such a special moment for Cory and I as we both prayed with him.

He, of course, wanted to share this moment with his brother. In May 2007 Caden and Jackson came to us saying that Jackson also wanted Jesus in his heart. We asked him questions, trying to determine if he really knew what was going on. He knew the answers... He would get to go to Heaven with Jesus in his heart. But, do you want to know what his real motivator was?? In sharing about Jesus, Caden had also shared what would happen if you didn't have Jesus in your heart when you died... Jackson did NOT want to go to hell. So, 3 months after his brother asked Jesus into his heart, Jackson prayed the same prayer. Again, so amazing. Such a blessing. Thank you Jesus.

Jackson loves to talk about Jesus. He loves to ask if so and so has Jesus in their hearts. For Halloween, this year, he wanted to go house to house and ask if the homeowners had Jesus in their heart. He wants the world to know about Jesus. He loves to sing songs about Jesus. His favorite?

Our God is an awesome God,
He reigns from Heaven above,
With wisdom, power and love,
Our God is an awesome God.

I love to hear him sing this. Loud and strong.

Last summer we received a phone call. Cole was away at the middle school camp and was asking if it was okay if he got baptized. We made some calls, dropped the boys off at a friends and made the long drive to the Seattle area. So amazing. So thankful. So awesome.


I had already decided to get baptized the following Sunday at church. I had been baptized as a baby and always wondered if I should get baptized again. I did some research and came to the conclusion that yes, I should. That being baptized was an outward sign of your faith. That being baptized was a way to declare to the world that you follow Jesus. That being baptized as a baby does not allow for any of that. I obviously, did not have Jesus in my heart when I was a baby. I obviously, could not make the decision to be baptized. The answer was clear...

With Cole and I getting baptized within days of each other, Caden was asking lots of questions. What is baptism? Why do you do it? Do I need to be baptized? Can I be baptized? We sat down and had a great talk. He seemed to truly understand all that I was saying. He really wanted to be baptized on Sunday too. So, we did it. One right after the other. So amazing. So thankful. So awesome. Words cannot begin to describe the way my heart felt as I heard Cory read our testimonies. Words cannot describe the way my heart felt as Caden was immersed. My heart was full. Full of love. Full of thankfulness. Full of God.


I am so thankful. Thankful that 3 of my children have made the conscious decision to follow Christ. That I have been there to pray with 2 of them as they have made that choice. That it seems as though their sister isn't far behind. I'm thankful that God cares for each of them. That he cares about their souls. Their hearts. Their minds. Their eternity. I'm thankful that I have a husband that has a heart for God. I'm thankful these memories are so vivid in my mind. I'm especially thankful for them on the days where my children are crabby. Where I am crabby. When I can just get these sweet reminders of my sweet kids and my sweet sweet Jesus.