Weight of the Moment

>> Tuesday, November 2, 2010


I don't know if I will be able to fully communicate the absolute preciousness and humor of the story I am about the relay to you. The moment was one of the most priceless and one of the funniest of my motherhood journey so far. Mostly I just feel the need to document it somewhere and share with y'all how totally awesome my boys are. :)

We have this CD of songs from the Toy Story movies. The boys love it. Me... not so much. But I give in at certain times, especially when we have a long-ish drive somewhere or there is much fighting/whining/over-all crankiness happening in the back seat. Tonight I let them listen to it as we were driving to and from this launch party in Naperville for the ToyStory 3DVD. But when we were leaving Chick-fil-A after dinner and I reluctantly turned on the CD again, Lucas suggested we instead put on our CD of "Jesus songs" (their term for worship songs). Happy to listen to something else and something soothing, I quickly obliged. Half way through This Little Light of Mine, Lucas says "Mommy, who is Satan?" Not what I was anticipating for my 7pm drive home, but I ran with it anyway.
From that question sparked one of the most awesome conversations I have ever had with Lucas. We talked about angels and what it means to serve God as our King and why we sometimes sin and heaven and the second coming of Jesus... we ran the full spectrum. Some of L's comments/questions throughout this conversation were priceless:

"So, God is kinda like Batman and Satan is the Joker."
"I only know two things about heaven: My brother Micah lives there and the streets are covered in gold. Oh, and it is somewhere up in the clouds even though I have never seen it when I have been in lots of airplanes."
"Do we have to wait until we die to get to heaven or can we get there while we are still alive?"
"How will we know when Jesus is coming back? What if we are inside and we don't see Him coming down through the clouds? Do you think we might think the trumpet music is just the tornado siren?"
"When will Jesus come back to get us?"

I assured him that the trumpets announcing Jesus' return to earth would be the most beautiful music he had ever heard and that he would know the second he heard it that Jesus was coming to take him to heaven. (Only a mid-western child would be worried he would confuse the trumpets with an emergency tornado-warning! Ha!!)
For all my not-so-proud mommy moments, I am so thankful that God gives me moments like these. Moments when I can talk to my boys about the most important things, eternal things. Moments when I feel like I am investing in their souls and not just providing for their bodies. To talk with Lucas about heaven tonight and about that moment when Christ will come back to take us home was a moment I will never forget. And to see Caden sit quietly in his seat, hanging on very word.... well, I'll just say that the weight of the moment was not lost on me. I felt it sit on my shoulders. I chose my words carefully, knowing I was shaping their views on the most crucial of truths. And yet as sure as I was that God had ordained that moment, I prayed that He would put the right words on my tongue and protect their little hearts. I have to trust that the Holy Spirit will takes those little seeds of truth and bloom them into something great in those boys. I pray it will every cell of my being.

We got out of the car and headed into the house. Walking up the front steps, Caden says "Shhh, Mommy, do you hear Jesus coming?"
Lucas replies, "Caden, that isn't Jesus. That is just Hadley (our dog!). We don't know when Jesus will come back for us, Caden. It could be tomorrow or it could be a long, long time from now like 20years. But when He does come, won't that be cool?!"

In that moment, I couldn't decide if I should laugh or cry. Even writing this, I am doing both. Their language is funny. Their hearts are priceless. Both are so, so precious.
I hope I was somewhat able to convey the events of our car ride home is a way the accurately reflects the truth. It was very cute and yet eternally significant. As I was rubbing his legs at bedtime, I told Lucas how special our earlier conversation was to me. "Thank you, Mommy, for telling me all those things about heaven and Jesus. I read things about Him in books but you have a lot of things to tell me that I need to know. I like hearing what you have to tell me. If you don't tell me, I can't be very smart about it."

If that isn't motivation, I'm not sure what else would be.
Thank you, Lord, for tonight's moment. Help me to be a wise steward of such moments in the future and of their little souls that have temporarily been entrusted to me.




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4 comments:

Amanda November 2, 2010 at 10:27 PM  

This makes my heart so happy...and thankful. I know, as much as I can, how important (I need a MUCH bigger word) your boys are to you...and that your love for them knows no end. I also want you to know what an amazing mother I think you are, and just as they are the most precious blessings in your life...you are also that for them, my friend. I'm thankful God places the words he does in your heart and on your tongue, but also admire & adore that you have the courage and conviction to say them...rather than putting them off b/c it's not what you expected for your 7pm ride home. I was shut down often, and memorably so, by the mother/female figures in my life as a child. I've no doubt I've turned out/am turning out just as God planned me to, and I carry no resentments. Still, I can recognize the difference...something I think is sometimes equally as important - knowing the difference. Love you.

Cheryl November 2, 2010 at 11:08 PM  

So many wonderful questions and you answered them so beautifully. :)
Do you have the book Heaven for kids, by Randy Alcorn? I have it, but I haven't read it with the kids yet. I'll let you know if it is good.
xox
cheryl

Atwood-Family of FIVE November 3, 2010 at 1:08 PM  

Thanks for sharing that. I struggle w/ how to answer my daughter's questions in a way that is simple for a 4 year old yet truth. The other day when she was watching a Backyardins, they were pretending to be Greek gods. I felt strongly I needed to let her know that greek gods were pretend and it was as silly as asking a table to give you food. After a bit she said "I know Mommy, our God is the only True God." Ah...how I loved it.

Ashley November 3, 2010 at 5:33 PM  

what a beautiful post. One I think I'll save forever and ever. Reminds me to be thankful for the little things... like growing up in a home where mom & dad taught us about Jesus from the beginning. Christian life isn't a breeze-- like you know, it doesn't mean we get a pass on pain in life...it does means we get to experience unconditional love straight from the source. L & C will are blessed children for having parents who love the Lord.

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