...and we love each other: Child of God

March 22, 2009 was a day I know I'll never forget. Trevor and I were reading a book about Easter. We'd read it a few times before, but this time was different. The book talks about all the fun things about Easter, but none of them are the reason we celebrate. It talks about Christ dying upon the cross to make right all the bad things we have done, and then rising from the dead--and that He he did it all because He wants to live in our hearts. For awhile now Trevor has shown a real desire to hear the stories in Scripture, and asks lots of questions. And he often pretends to "preach" from the Bible (although some of the details are a bit off at this point!!). But anyway, it has just seemed that he has a 3-year-old version of a God-hunger in him.

So, when I finished reading the book, Trevor turned to me and asked, "Does Jesus live in my heart?" I said, "He comes to live in your heart and forgive your sins when you ask Him to." He said, "Can I ask Him right now? I want Him to be in my heart." I just looked over at Justin with wide eyes. I have prayed for THAT MOMENT for so long, and it kind of came out of the blue when we weren't expecting it. Even when Trevor was a little baby I'd lay him in his crib and pray, "Let this day be one day closer to the day when Trevor knows You as his Savior." And this was that day! So I led Trevor in a prayer and then we told him that there was a party in Heaven for him with great rejoicing now that Jesus lives in his heart, so we had a little party for him at home, too. He wanted a blue cake with green sprinkles, so that's what we had.

The next morning when I went into his room, the first thing he said to me was, "Is Jesus still in my heart?" I explained that He is in there to stay. Not going anywhere! I told him that Justin and I each asked Jesus to come into our hearts when we were very young, and He never came out. So now Trevor has been talking a lot about how Jesus is in his heart, that there was a great party for him, and that Jesus is never going to come out of there.

I think I had a brief moment of skepticism about him understanding or being too young, but that feeling was immediately gone when I considered my own relationship with Christ. I was only about a year older than Trevor when I asked Christ to be my Lord and Savior, and it stuck. And that is my passionate prayer, my cry out to the Lord, that this decision Trevor made will take root deeply in his heart, and that he will spend his days learning more and more about the God who created him purposefully and wonderfully, and loves him so very much.

Since that day we have talked a lot about Jesus' power inside him to help him to do the right thing. His little 3-year old body is indwelled with the power of God. Doesn't mean his behavior has been flawless, but there is that understanding that he has one who helps him, who lives within him and loves him.