So here I am, writing a blog post. Tonight seemed like an important night to document. First of all, that linen closet WILL be "gotten to" in the next couple of weeks because WE ARE MOVING! :) YAY! We have found a house and we get our keys in our pretty little hands on June 26th! So, yes, the linen closet will get a good organizing. I guess here in the Cox household, we do EXTREME spring cleaning! This will be our third move in three years.... it seems every spring we move to a new house. But this house will soon be our home. Maybe a forever home. But definitely a long term home.
The memorable part of the evening came at dinner. KaeLee asked Jesus to come live in her heart. I don't think, as a parent, there is anything that could make me more proud of your child. We have been talking all week about her most favorite people getting baptized this weekend. Elizabeth and Lauren. Our pastor's daughters. They are, I believe, 13 and..... 9? I have the memory of a goldfish, so pardon me if I have gotten their ages wrong. KaeLee has been asking what baptism means and why people get baptized. I told her that Elizabeth and Lauren have asked Jesus to come live in their heart and stay there all the days and that they are following Jesus now. She said she wanted to have Jesus in her heart and follow Jesus too.
Well, tonight at dinner, AFTER the baptism, this subject was brought up again. She seemed adament that she, too, wanted to have Jesus in her heart and get baptized. So we told her that all she has to do is ask Jesus to come live in her heart and then she can start following Jesus. And after she follows Jesus for a while, then when she gets a little older, she can be ready to get baptized. She wanted to know exactly how to do it. So I led her in a simple prayer and she repeated after me:
"Jesus, please come into my heart and stay there all of my days. Help me to follow you and show me how to live like you want me to."
She is so precious. It started out wanting to be like her friends, but I think it turned into genuinely wanting to follow Jesus. Hannah also wanted to say the prayer. So I led her in the prayer as well. Although, I know she was doing it because KaeLee did it. But I think if KaeLee continues to set an example, Hannah will surely see God's love and will want to genuinely follow Him too.
I am so grateful, tonight, for our church family and the amazing kids that KaeLee has to look up to. They are sweet, kind, and quick to show love to others, just like Jesus would. KaeLee is slowly learning what it means and looks like to follow Jesus and she is a happy servant. After dinner, she cleared the table and cleaned her room and said "I'm following Jesus. I am helping and cleaning up, just like Jesus would do."
Melts. My. Heart.
So tonight I pray that this is for real, and that KaeLee's heart is forever changed. I pray that not only will she continue to follow Jesus and try to be like Him, but that she will also be an example for other kids coming up behind her (including her sisters) and that she can influence them in a Jesus way!
