As a parent, it's always a treat to get a glimpse of what your child is thinking. Especially when they are young! I suppose I'll be saying the same thing when my kids are older too, but for now, Ryder is 4, and so at this stage of life, I love hearing what kinds of hilarious and sometimes profound thoughts are swirling around in that sweet little head of his!
I know our family always loves hearing what Ryder is saying these days too, so I thought it was time to share with you one of my favorites from the past few weeks...
Ryder's Prayer:
(spontaneously...actually he kind of interrupts me while I'm praying over him at night...)
"Lord, thank you for your birthday coming up and so many friends who know who you are...there are so many people who don't know who you are, so someone needs to tell them about You and that's a hard job, so help there be people to tell them. Amen."
This definitely inspired me to be a better example of the fact that it really isn't that hard to "tell" people about who God is...We just have to be intentional. Isn't that true? I think back to when I was teaching full-time before I had any children. I would wake up at 5:30 every morning to get to school on time and most nights stay late, never finishing all of what I had on my list of things to "accomplish," yet, I worked HARD to be the best teacher I could for my students. It took long hours...loads of patience...the willingness to change the 'plan' if the original one wasn't working, and the dedication to do whatever it took, to help my students achieve more than they thought possible.
We all have things we've worked hard for in our life, I can't think of anything more worthy than making a personal sacrifice so that those around me know about Jesus. Ryder's prayer stirred something inside of me. I want my children to understand that "telling" people about Jesus is not an item on the "agenda" of our life. When we have the Spirit of the Living God living inside of us, sharing Jesus doesn't fit in our daily planners somewhere between lunch and dinner. As we are in relationship with the One who give us life, sharing with others the LOVE we've been transformed by will transcend all other "plans" our minds come up with for the day.
As a mother and wife, my challenge is to invite my children in on the dance. I love thinking of my relationship with Jesus as a dance. I don't always know the steps, but I trust the One who does. I'm so thankful He's leading...but when I look down at my feet and start to worry about what comes next, or the fact that my feet aren't positioned just right...He lifts my eyes back up to His and reminds me that He's not concerned with how it looks...if He was, he would've made me a expert dancer for the start! No, it's not at all about the outward appearance of our dance...the part that others can see. The Lord looks only at my heart and the way I draw near to Him in the process.
Hold your children close while you dance through life with Jesus...
They'll learn of His guidance as he gently whispers the next step
His patience, redirecting our wandering gaze
His steadfast love, holding us close the whole way through
His forgiveness, helping us up when we fall
His love for us, choosing us before we knew we could choose Him
Only if they are CLOSE to us through the dance will they see JESUS...
otherwise, we may only get in the way of their view of Him.
Letting people in on the dance...that is what it means to "tell" people about Jesus. There may be very little telling...and no my sweet Ry, it's not hard. It is a gift to have a dance to share. Without the dance, it may seem hard, because then we're left to think up how to explain God using only our words and finite thoughts. Someone can get to know God through our words as well as they can get to know a person through seeing them in a photograph. We can tell them all about the person, but until they meet and spend time with them, they will never "know" them. As we continue to dance with Jesus, every moment of everyday, we can't help but exude the love we have for Him to everyone we meet, changing us in the process.
Sound a little too sweet for you who says, "The reality of my life is a bit rougher around the edges than a 'dance,' thank you. If a life with Jesus means prancing around smiling all the time, then He'll have to look elsewhere for a dance partner, because I have too much on my plate than to take time for dancing." I hear you, but more importantly...He hears you. And He knows. The amazing thing is, He doesn't just dance...He runs a faster race than anyone you'll ever meet. He can handle it. There isn't anything you've done, thought, ate, drank or breathed that He doesn't already know about, and He wants you anyway. Seriously. This isn't just for those of us with a white-picket fences, 2.5 kids and a dog. ( I don't have any of that, by-the-way....who does have 2.5 kids?) He's for me, He's for you. For me it may be dancing (with 2 left feet) for you it may be fencing...I don't know, but it doesn't matter, because He does. And He wants you to know, right now...that He's waiting for you. He made you. He loves you. And He wants to walk, run, dance, swim, ski, through life with you. Whatever it is...He can handle it.
Ryder...as you grow, may you discover your own rhythm with God and be someone who draws people to Him along the way. And I hope you learn earlier than me, to be transparent in the process. Perfection doesn't exist outside of God Himself, so don't try for it. Satan did that, and look where it got him. You've already drawn me closer to God today...Thank you, dear one, and by the way...I love being your Mommy.
This is GREAT!! Has anyone told you to write a book? You totally should!! -- God Bless, Jenn Tapuaiga
Ok, you made me cry tears of joy. I can only pray Cade and I will have the same sweet relationship you have with Ryder. It is truly a dance and I thank you for your faithful example in teaching your children how to follow our Lord's lead. xo!
You made me cry tears of joy! I can only pray that my relationship with Cade is just as sweet as yours is with Ryder. It is truly a dance and I thank you for your faithful example in teaching your children how to follow the Lord's lead. xo!