Everyone but me and the cat!

Kids say some funny things!  Sometimes they say very profound things.  Sometimes God speaks to us through our children.  Sometimes we wonder where in the world the things they say come from.  Adam, our 9 year-old, frequently says funny things.  He also frequently says things that we have no clue where he picked them up...some are just funny little phrases, some can be inappropriate at times, and every now and then he will say something that is so profound that is causes me to really pause and think that his brain is working at a higher level than I am aware of.

Adam has some developmental and educational issues.  He has symptoms of mild autism and is diagnosed with ADHD.  He is a bit behind most kids his age in his learning and processing abilities, but he still does fairly well, considering those things.

Over the past several months, salvation has been a big topic in our house.  We have had daily Bible study and prayer as a family since the first of this year.  We prayed for Kayla's salvation frequently.  We celebrated greatly when that occurred early this summer.  We also were thrilled when one of Emma's friends was saved during VBS this summer.  So, it's a topic that has been frequently discussed.

While Adam doesn't really participate in these discussions, he hears it all.  He also loves to go to Sunday School and learns quite a bit there.  He has a general understanding of God and Jesus.  He knows that God loves us.  He knows that Jesus died on the cross for us.  He knows that going to Heaven has something to do with loving Jesus.  He knows that praying to Jesus to ask for his bad dreams to go away generally makes his bad dreams go away.  But that is about the extent of his understanding, at least as far as we can tell.  Sometimes, though, he says things that make us think he understands more than we realize.

The other day, sitting at lunch, out of nowhere, he looked at me and said, "When can I get saved?"  I was taken aback for a moment and I just looked at him.  He said, "Everyone is saved but me and the cat!  When can I get saved?"  In his precious heart and mind he was so serious, but I really had to bite my lip for a moment to prevent myself from busting out laughing (I have a problem with laughing at the wrong time...those who know me well will agree.)  Everyone but him and the cat!  That was funny!  So my brain is quickly trying to process what he just said.  He understands that his sisters and his mom and dad are saved, but he is not. He also understands that the cat isn't saved.  Does he think the cat can be saved?  I don't know.  But I do know that he is concerned that he is not saved.  So in that moment I had to respond appropriately to his very serious question.  I told him that we could talk about it later that night if he wanted to.  He agreed.

So, later that evening I asked him if he wanted to talk about it.  He did, but he wanted it to be very private...just me and him.  Everyone else had to leave the room and the close the doors.  So I asked him a few basic questions to see what he really did understand.  It was as I suspected.  He has a very general understand of some basics, but not a full enough understanding to really make a decision.  He asked me how you get saved.  I told him that you ask Jesus to come live in your heart because you love Him and you want to love Him forever.  He said that he would be scared to do that.  I told him that when the time was right, he wouldn't be scared.  He said that would be a long time from now.  I told him that it would be whenever God wanted it to be.  I reminded him that Emma was only 7 when she was saved, but Kayla was 14.  We wait on God's timing.  He seemed to be ok with that.  He told me we should talk about this again when he is 10.  I smiled and agreed.  He asked, "Will you remember to talk to me about this when I'm 10, or will you forget?"  I assured him that I would most definitely remember!  He was content and the conversation was over.

Now, do I think Adam is ready to be saved?  No, not today.  But is God working in his heart?  Absolutely!  That just makes my "mommy heart" spill over with joy!!!  When Adam was a brand new infant, I gave him to the Lord.  He had a lot of health issues.  He had trouble breathing and eating.  I would hold him and rock him to sleep at night and tell him that he was going to grow up and do good things for Jesus.  Nine years later, as I see God working in his heart, it makes me so joyful to see God's faithfulness.  Adam is a precious child.  He has had a lot of struggles with health, developmental, and behavioral issues in his 9 years.  He will probably always have some type of those issues throughout his life, but God is bigger than those issues!  God is faithful and good!  God has a plan for Adam!  What a blessing it is for me to be a part of that and watch God work in his life!

Please pray for Adam.  Change is difficult for him.  He is adjusting to the move (new home, new town, new state), we are attending a new church (new enviroment, people, SS class) and he will be starting school on August 27th (new school, new teachers, new friends).  All of this is hard for anyone, but especially for Adam.  Please pray for smooth transitions, a positive school environment, for any anxiety to be removed, and for peace in his heart and mind.  And, of course, please pray for God's continued work in Adam's heart! :0)