Getting ready to go get Benjamin has got us thinking about salvation like never before. Even now, we are praying for Benjamin’s soul—just as we are for Jack's, William's, and Isaac’s.
In addition to adopting Benjamin, other circumstances have us thinking about salvation. We just walked through Holy Week and had a wonderful Easter celebration with our church family. Our church is hosting an upcoming funeral for a couple from another faith tradition who were tragically killed last week. In addition, for the last couple of months a father at our church has been talking with Todd about his daughter’s salvation. The father recently called and wants for him and his daughter to have lunch with Pastor Todd to talk about what God has been doing in her life.
Jesus told his disciples, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16). He also said “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit (John 3:8).
God’s work of salvation is a mysterious miracle.
God’s work of salvation in the life of a child is an even more mysterious miracle.
As parents, we want to be faithful to the words of Deuteronomy 6:6-7—“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
We’re teaching God’s Word to the boys as diligently as we can. We are talking about his commandments every chance we get…when we’re at home, when we’re walking by the way, when we’re lying down, and when we rise. Literally, all the time!
Shepherding children in the midst of God’s working of salvation requires parents’ diligence and discernment. Too often, children are easily swayed into receiving false assurance about salvation and are not properly equipped with the understanding of what God has done or may be doing in their lives.
We have the responsibility to lead our boys to Christ, and we have the responsibility to ensure that they understand God’s salvation to the best of their ability. Therefore, we teach them.
When the father in our church called Todd about his daughter, he said that a while back his daughter had said she “asked Jesus into her heart.” The father responded by asking her what she meant by “asking Jesus into her heart”—making sure that she had an understanding of the simple gospel. He was elated that his daughter not only spoke of God’s love, her sin, Christ’s death, and her repentant trust in Christ, but that she also showed observable signs of a new heart in her everyday living.
Several weeks ago, Daddy got a new bicycle. Four-year-old William asked what the red thing on the back was. Daddy explained that it was the “reflector,” and that at night when a car’s light shines on the bicycle, the light would reflect (like a mirror) and people would be able to see Daddy riding his bike.
For several minutes, William tried to say “reflector.” He said, “flerector.” He said, “lefector.” He said, “relector.” After growing increasingly frustrated, William said, “Daddy, I’m just going to call it a ‘light,’ because ‘flerector’ is too hard to say.”
Daddy said, “No you’re not, because it’s not a ‘light.’ It’s a ‘reflector.’”
Kids need guidance. They are continuously learning about the realities around them, and they need the right words which correspond to the realities they are experiencing—especially for something as important as salvation.
We are praying that God will give us wisdom as we give our boys the kind of guidance they need.
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