As we're sitting at Sweet Tomatoes Caleb, our oldest son, leans over to Scott and whispers in his ear that he should tell me something or other. He finishes what he had to say, and Scott nods and says, "we'll have to remember to tell her." And they continue eating. I'm looking at them like, "well? What do you need to tell me?" But I keep eating as well because, honestly, my brain couldn't actually bring myself to push the issue.
A couple minutes later Scott says, "Oh, yeah, Mommy? Caleb was born yesterday."
Caleb is grinning real big, and, as I said before, I was exhausted and couldn't put the connection to what he was saying and what he was saying together. He then went on to explain that CALEB ASKED JESUS TO LIVE IN HIS HEART ON SATURDAY!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, he had asked Jesus into his heart when he was 3, but this was just way cool because it was his decision away from me or Scott. When he was three we had been praying and talking about Jesus and he asked me a lot of questions a three-year-old wouldn't normally ask. I asked him after explaining to him what it meant, and why we (Scott & I) asked Jesus to live in our hearts, if he wanted to ask Jesus in, too. He said yes and we prayed together. It was a beautiful moment, and knew it was real, but prayed that God would continue to work in his life so he would come to a decision on his own when he was older. To know that we've been praying for Caleb so much lately as we struggle with an 8-going-on-18 attitude and defiance issues...and to see how God was still working in him in ways we had no idea. God is so good! The amazing thing? There really is a change in Caleb from when I left on Saturday morning to when I came home Sunday afternoon. This morning when he left for school there was a calmness in his spirit that hadn't been there in a long time. I am amazed and in tears over what God is doing in our family ~ how can anyone not want to know a God, the CREATOR of our SOULS, who loves us so much He is willing to discipline us when we get out of line and bring blessings unbelievable when we follow His good and PERFECT will?
side tangent: I have known many, many brilliant, incredible and intelligent people in my life. I have known some who are Christians and some who are not. I have to say that when I hear someone intelligent speaking with wisdom on a subject I tend to kind of "sit at their feet" and learn all I can from them.
Intelligence is praised in our society and the "intellectuals" will say that in order to be successful you must be intelligent. (Stay with me...I'm gonna make sense of this in a minute...) To be a professor at an Ivy-league university, to some is the equivalent of being a world leader...intelligence is that elevated in our society.
I have also known many beautiful people in my life. Some women I am friends with are of the stop-drop-your-jaw-and-stare kind of beautiful. Also in our society beauty is seen as something to be praised. Super Models are idolized and stars are criticized and critiqued on everything from a belly hump to choosing the wrong kind of outfit to wear someplace to the style of their accessories ~ human or otherwise. In America, to be beautiful is to be accepted and praised.
SO....Intelligence is the end-all-be-all for some, and my God created from nothing a Universe and human life. He created things that have stood the test of time, and He created creatures that didn't survive. He has created molecules, atoms and brains that house the intelligence so many praise in humans....
He also created beauty, and He creates beauty each and every day. Just look at some of these pictures of what He's created:
Can we get more beautiful than some of those? YES! Every day He paints us a beautiful picture for us to enjoy. He places a baby in a Mother's arms and we see beauty and miracle all in one. An aged couple sits at a table looking at each other in love and we see beauty. Sleet falls from the sky outside my window on an April day and although I don't understand how Saturday was 80 degrees and we've got sleet today, It's still just amazing to look at.
So why do people reject God? How can we embrace intelligence and beauty and reject the maker of both of those?? I know the age-old argument about how can a loving God allow such horrors also? Well...how can we say that is a reason to stay away from Him when we turn on a TV show and the host says the secret to happiness is to look for the good in your life? How can we put that requirement on God when we are told day-in-and-day-out that we make the choice to either look at the good or the bad, but focusing on the bad will only make us more miserable? Come ON, people!!! Focus on the good...and one day maybe I'll address the "bad" part of living on this earth....but focus on the good of GOD!
End side-tangent. Thank you. :)
