Of Being Intentional

Sunday afternoon, as I changed diapers post-nap-time, Micaiah talked about how she wanted to play a song (pointing to her radio, which has actually never been used in her room) and began to pretend:
"And we play the song and we sing, 'There was a shake and a rattle and the stone was rolled away!'"

Having never heard these lyrics before, I was surprised and had her repeat herself, as the first rendition had been rather soft and I wanted to be sure I'd heard correctly.  But sure enough, there was my daughter, singing about the Resurrection.  I asked her if she knew who the song was about, but she moved on to another topic (that's a three-year-old brain for you).

Later, as she sang her new song for Daddy, too, I again asked her if she knew who it was about and she responded, "Um, Jesus, and He died on the cross and I draw a cross."  This is when I realized her Sunday School lessons were a) more deep than I gave them credit for and b) actually getting through to her.  And then I was sad, because I should not be surprised to hear my daughter talk of the cross and what it means - I should have been teaching her.

But the truth is, any theological truth that comes from my daughter's mouth did not come from us.  Making Jesus-talk a normal part of our daily conversation is not a strength for either my husband or myself.  And, lately (today, especially), I have felt very convicted of this.

I want spiritual truth to be second nature to our children.  I want them to know why we pray and to Whom we pray.  I want them to value the Word and hide it in their hearts.  I want them to know God.  And for this to happen, we need to be sure we are making Him evident in our own lives as we live in front of our children.

I plan to be more intentional in making our spiritual life and our daily life inseparable.  Pray with me in this endeavor.

1,000 Gifts:
37. Brussels sprouts, sprinkled with almonds, adorning our dinner plates.
38. Extra plates at lunch-time as we bless a friend and ourselves.

39. Fresh pineapple on the counter waiting to be made into salsa for tomorrow's dinner.
40. A red straw in the chocolate shake my husband bought just for me.
41. A red marker - our daughter's new favorite, used to color every paper she can find.
42. Two children, clad in red pajamas, climbing all over their daddy.

The above picture is also my photo for today's Taking Time For Play Challenge: "a smile."

And just for smiles, my new favorite outfit for Joey: