Have you ever felt like God is speaking directly to you through voice of your child? I had a profound “God moment” this last week, at of all times, during our children’s bedtime routine. Normally bedtime is super chaotic in our household of three young boys. But for some reason, this night’s bedtime ritual was actually going pretty smoothly. Maybe our kids were just hot and tired from the 102 degree temperature that day, or maybe I was just taking to heart our discussion from Mom’s Group regarding appreciating every moment we have with our children as they grow up so quickly. Either way, teeth were brushed easily, kids were in bed on time, and mommy was feeling happy. Then it happened, in three simple actions, my children spoke straight to my heart and brought to life this Sunday’s Gospel passage where Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Here are the three ways God spoke to my heart through the voice of my children that night… “I am the Way”… It came time for reading books and the boys asked me to read them one of their all time favorites, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, a very cute and silly story about a pigeon who wants to drive a bus and a bus driver who asks you, the reader, to stop the pigeon from driving the bus. My kids get so excited telling the pigeon that he cannot drive the bus, and we all end up laughing out loud till our sides hurt. At the end of the story, one of my sons turned to me and said, “You know Mommy, the writer of this story must know Jesus, because he is encouraging us to do the right thing, just as Jesus always encourages us to do the right thing.” WOW! Out of the mouth of a child! Jesus teaches us the way! Jesus is the way! “I am the Truth”… During our evening prayer time, I always say a special prayer over each of our children and thank God for something wonderful they did that day. As I prayed over our oldest son that evening, I noticed that he had his eyes closed more tightly than normal and was really focused during our prayer time. When we finished praying he said, “Mom, while you were praying for me, I was praying for you at the same time. I know that you always pray for me, even if I do something wrong, and that makes me feel really good. It lets me know that you will always love me and that God will always love me too. So I really want to pray for you and thank God for you being my mom.” Again, WOW! Now, with tears rolled down my face, I hugged my child closely, knowing that God’s truth is found in how we love one another. Jesus lived the truth! Jesus spoke the truth! Jesus is the truth! “I am the Life”… After turning out the lights, tucking them in, kissing them goodnight, and telling them each that I loved them, I turned to walk out of their bedroom. But before I could make it to the door, I heard little footsteps running up behind me and felt a huge warm hug embracing around me. I hugged my son back as I heard him say “thank you Mom for showing me what it means to be loved and how important it is to love others.” My waterworks started again as I hugged him even tighter, feeling God’s loving kindness wrapping our embrace even closer. Jesus loves us so much that he created our life and the lives of our children! Jesus came to live with us, to show us true love, and to give us eternal life! Jesus is the Life! Jesus is the Way! Jesus is the Truth! Jesus is the Life! Thank you God for teaching me these lessons through the amazing love of my children! For Meditation: Take a quiet moment for yourself and say the words of Jesus 5 times: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” What is Jesus saying to you personally in each of these sayings?… “I am the way”… “I am the truth”… “I am the life.” Throughout the rest of your day, seek ways in which your children can speak God’s message to you regarding “the way, the truth, and the life.” Written By Amy Connelly for the OLQA Mom’s Group "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'"
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January 2015
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