In the Way They Should Go...

I spend almost all of my time with Elijah. Sometimes, it is just silly fun. And sometimes it’s stressful. But sometimes, I can sense that we are in the middle of a really special moment. Some call them “teachable moments.” During these times, I have a chance to really make an impact on him – to teach him something about the way things work, impart wisdom to him for making good decisions, or to show him what it means to live by faith. When reading Kevin Leman last year, I got a clear picture of my role as a parent: it is my job to teach my children how to think. And when a teachable moment happens, time seems to slow a little, and everything becomes heightened. My mind and heart seem to say, “Speak carefully, now… these words are the stuff that parenting, that life itself, is really made of.”

These moments are not infrequent at our house, as the “why” stage has been in full bloom for quite some time. I think God really understood children when he said we should talk about these things “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Dt. 6:7), because Elijah is asking questions all the time! And I relish it. It is wonderful to get to be the one to explain to someone what makes a car go or why we have rain. At times, it becomes tiring, when a “why” moment overlaps with a stressful or hurried one! But many of his questions remind me that Elijah and Kate are not just little pets or playmates; they are eternal souls that I am actually steering.

It overwhelmed me once in the fall, when I was talking to Elijah about the devil. And I realized that he was hanging on every word I was saying, and instantly accepting them as true. He wasn’t asking me for any proof; I wasn’t even showing him the information in the Bible! I was just talking. And he was completely believing me. I walked away from that conversation with a bit of a weight on my heart. I thought, ‘I had better have all my ducks in a row; it is my words he is accepting as true!’ (It was actually that conversation that prompted me to re-read Mere Christianity; to re-address all my doubts and internalize the Truth.)

One of our first such conversations happened when Elijah was just 18 months old. I had asked him if he knew where God was, but he just looked up at me quizzically. I thought the best way for me to explain it to him was to tell him that God was everywhere. “He’s in your bed," I told him. "And He's in your closet. And He's on the dresser."

All of a sudden, Elijah's eyes brightened, and with a big smile, he joined in. "And He's in my books! And He's on the rug! And He's in my basketball goal!" It was a precious moment - he understood! Elijah learned a sweet, simple truth that night. And I learned it all over again. As I left Elijah, I was moved, and my eyes filled with tears. My first taste of shaping a spirit. (This conversation was the inspiration for my song “Everywhere,” the title track of my quartet’s second album).

Today, I had another chance to share truth with Elijah. We sat on the couch to listen to Focus on the Family’s Adventures in Odyssey, a dramatized radio broadcast where the lovable characters learn about life in Christ. The story today was about a boy who was having all sorts of adventures, fighting an enemy named “Grim” with his helper “Nagel” by his side. In the end, you learn that the boy has been in a coma, and whether real or imagined, his angel was helping him fight death, because it was not his time to die.

This broadcast sparked a barrage of questions with Elijah. “Is Nagel real? Is the angel that told Mary she was going to have a baby real? Where do angels live now? Are they invisible? What’s the angel’s name that is taking care of me? [When I said I didn’t know, he asked God out loud.] Do angels take care of grownups, too? What else do angels do? Are angels stronger than God? How do angels help us fight the devil? Where does the devil live? Will he turn me into a bad guy? Does the devil know that God is real? Does God have more helpers than the devil does? What is the devil’s name?”

We talked about where the devil came from, what he wants to do, what weapons we have to resist him, and how we are teammates with God, Jesus, and the angels. I almost didn’t want the conversation to end as he enthusiastically explored the topic.

Lance taught a class at Blue Haven last summer where he talked about how real God is… that he is not a hollow veneer , but dense, homogenous, concrete, and whole. I know throughout their lives, I will have many opportunities to help Elijah and Kate develop a faith that is rock solid. I pray I can show them Truth (and show them the Source of it), while expressing my joy and excitement about it! It doesn’t matter how old they are when they learn to read, or how far Elijah can hit a baseball, or how beautifully Kate can play the piano. If I can help them live every day being “sure and certain” that God is real, that He is good, and that an end is coming which is something to celebrate, I’ll know I have hit my target dead center.

Please pray for Lance and me as we guide Elijah and Kate.