The Innocence of Childhood

Our five-year-old, Cameron, reached a milestone event in his life the other night. Before I share what that is, I'll set things up a bit. More than ten years ago, my Grandmother, "Grandma Mary", was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer. She fought and struggled with this horrible disease for many years, and the doctors were finally successful in putting the cancer into a drug induced remission. There were some complications, however, and on March 30, 2010, Grandma went home to be with the Lord. We buried Grandma on Good Friday.

In the days following Grandma's death, we prepared to travel up to Iowa for her funeral. Part of that preparation was explaining to our children about Grandma's death and what they could expect at her funeral. Corbin had been to my Grandpa Springer's funeral when he was only 4, but other than that, none of the children had been to a funeral before.

So, we told the children they would see Grandma's body, but what made Grandma who she was, was no longer with us. She was now in heaven. Cameron became extremely interested in this concept. "What is heaven?" he would ask. "How do we get there?" The questions started coming more and more each evening. Cameron almost became obsessed with heaven, if that's possible.

We got through Grandma's funeral with many tears, but also many beautiful stories and laughter as we celebrated the life of a faithful wife, mother, grandmother, friend, Sunday School teacher, preacher's wife, and overall Godly woman. What a legacy she left behind. The lives she touched for God's Kingdom will only be fully known when we arrive in that golden city.

As our family discussed Grandma, her faithfulness and her orneriness, Cameron's little brain went into over drive. He was more interested in heaven and the state of his heart, with each word we spoke. Each night, Cameron grilled Keith and I about heaven, Jesus, and what it all meant for him.

We went to Easter services with my family, and Cameron learned even more about Jesus dying on a cross for our sins and how God raised Jesus from the dead. We came home from Iowa, and the questions and discussions continued. Cameron would play "Jesus died on the cross", and he took his Lincoln Logs and created a farm with three crosses. He told us that Jesus was on the one in the middle, "But don't worry, he won't stay dead!".

The other night, April 19, 2010, Cameron was full of his questions, as usual. He was cuddled up with me on the floor of his bedroom as Keith and I were preparing to pray with him and Corbin before bedtime. Cameron asked me, "Mommy? How do you get to heaven?" I told him that to get to heaven, you had to ask Jesus to come and live in your heart. "Mommy? have I done that?", Cameron asked. I told him he had not done that yet. "But Mommy! Should I do that?", he asked more urgently. I told him if that's what he wanted to do, then he should do it. "Ok! Dear Jesus, will you please come live in my heart? I love you! Thanks. Amen!" And that was it. Such simplicity, and purity of heart.

Of course then the questions really started flooding out of him: "Mommy? If I yawn, will Jesus fall out?", "I feel some tapping in my tummy! Is that Jesus dancing?!", "What do I do now?", "You mean, Jesus is going to live in my heart FOREVER?!", "Where will he sleep?", "If I make bad choices, will Jesus leave my heart?". The last question caught me in my throat. "No baby. Jesus will never leave you. He loves you and He understands that we sometimes make mistakes. All you have to do is tell Him you're sorry and ask Him to forgive you, and He will."

As a mother, I see every day that my children DO NOT live in perfection. They are not perfect chidlren, but I love them. There is absolutely nothing they can do that would ever make me stop loving them. In many ways, they live their lives in Grace. I love them, in spite of their mistakes. Every day I mother my children, I gain a deeper understanding of how God must love me. My love for my children, although it's deep and fierce, pales in comparison to how God loves.

I can tell you, although I love my extended family and my friends, there's absolutely NO WAY I would take any of my children and offer them up as a sacrifice for any of them. But, that's what God did for me. He sacrificed His only son, to create a way for me to be in a relationship with Him. And Christ willingly layed down His life, in obediance to His Father, to facilitate that pathway for us all.

What love. What mercy. What grace.

Cameron said that he wanted to make sure that EVERYONE goes to heaven. He spent the day, yesterday, urging his little three-year-old brother to accept Jesus into his heart. Cameron keeps reminding me that Carson has not yet done that, and when am I going to make sure that Carson asks Jesus into his heart. His older brother, Corbin, has already taken that step. I guess Cameron doesn't see Catherine as "needing" to do that just yet. She's obviously not as ornery as her twin brother, Carson is. At least, not in Cameron's eyes.

Proverbs 22:6 implores us, as parents, to train up our children in the ways of the Lord. God's promise here, is that "when he is old, he will not depart from it." The promise is NOT that our children will live out their entire lives in the will of God. The promise is that when they're "old" they will not depart from the Lord. My word of encouragement for those parents whose children may not be living as you think they should, stand on God's promises. He put them in His word for a reason; to give us heart, hope, and peace. Corbin and Cameron are safe in the arms of God. I ask Him, every day, that He guard the hearts of our children and to help them live lives that please God. But, if they don't, I have assurance in God's promise that in their latter years, they will trust in Him.

What peace God's promises afford to us all, as Christian parents. But, we shouldn't rest on our laurels. God also says we must be diligent in spreading His word and His Truths. God doesn't NEED us to tell the world about Him. He CHOSE to use us to spread His word. Just as we, as parents, don't NEED our children to do certain tasks around our homes but we CHOOSE to give our children responsibilities to teach them life lessons. God has CHOSEN to give us the tasks of proselytizing our families, friends, and the world. This task is not ONLY for the benefit of others. It is for OUR benefit and there are life-lessons to be learned when we obey our Lord's commands.

Cameron didn't waste any time to begin obeying God in this area. He immediately recognized the importance of obeying God, and telling those most important to him about the love of God. In his innocence, he simply does not question the things of the Lord. He accepts, wholly at face value without the cumbersome lies and doubts this world will certainly throw at him as he grows up.

So, for now, I'm enjoying the innocence of childhood and doing my best to learn life-lessons and Godly applications from it. I implore all parents to realize that we most definitely can gain wisdom from the words, actions, and lives of our children. We just need to take the time to observe and reflect on the things they say and do.