Aaron's Good News

Two weeks ago, Jon was gone on a last minute work trip to Germany and I was home alone with the boys for too many several days.  It was my longest time being alone with all four boys and included SIX bedtimes.  Did you hear me?  When Jon is gone, I count the days based on bedtimes as that is often our most difficult time of day.  If you're a mom of multiple little ones, there is no need to explain this further.

I knew my friends and family must have been praying for me because I had way more patience than what comes to me naturally during that week.  The week went great until Tuesday night when the 24 hour stomach bug hit me.  I was up all night (11 pm-6 am) throwing up.  I am always sure that I'm dying when I have the flu and then amazed at how just hours later, you feel a thousand times better.  The flu is the worst.  The flu when you're solo parenting is beyond that (feeling sorry for me yet?) but I survived.  By the time morning rolled around I was so weak.  The boys did a great job of getting dressed, finding their own breakfasts and getting in the car.  I managed to get lunches packed for the twins (with a few breaks to rest while moving around the kitchen) and drive them to school.  I briefly contemplated just keeping them home, but then I realized having 2 of the 4 kids gone for the day was worth whatever level of effort I had to summon to get them there.  I also stopped at Target with the two little guys and got myself 7up, popsicles and saltines.  When we got home at 9 am, I laid on the couch, turned on the TV and let Aaron & Caleb watch as many movies as they wanted while I laid there in and out of sleep.

That afternoon while Caleb was napping, I summoned the energy to practice Awana verses with Aaron.  He had been sick the week before, so he had two verses to learn this week.  The first verse was John 11:25- "Jesus said...I am the resurrection and the life."  The second one was Ephesians 5:2-"Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us."  When I practice memorizing the verses with the boys, I always ask them what they think the verse means and then we discuss it.  I asked Aaron what he thought it meant that Christ gave himself up for us.  Aaron replied that it meant Jesus died on the Cross for our sins.  Over the last six months when we've talked, Aaron often says "Jesus died on my sins" which I just love.  In my mind, I picture sins as a grenade or bomb and Jesus laying his body over the explosion to protect us from the death of sin.  Its one of the favorite things that Aaron has said.  Aaron has thanked Jesus for dying for/on our sins many times over the last year during his bedtime prayers, but each time he has said that he isn't ready for Jesus to live in his heart.  Each time,, I've said that's okay.  You can't push someone else to Jesus, they have to come when they are ready in their own timing.

So on that cold January afternoon, we talked about these verses for a few minutes and then Aaron told me that he wanted Jesus to live in his heart.  Our conversation went like this:

Me:  Do you know how to have Jesus come live in your heart?

Aaron:  Yes, I just need to ask Him to come.  And love Him.

Aaron prayed the simplest of prayers "Dear Jesus, Please come live in my heart"  I was so glad to be a part of Aaron's first and most important step in following Jesus.  He's young, just four and a half, but he understands (at his developmental capacity) that he sins and Jesus can take away his sins.  I don't know if he'll remember this exact moment but I know that he will remember Jesus being with him from a young age. 

Since that moment in the afternoon of January 16th, Aaron has been telling everyone his "best news ever" that Jesus now lives in his heart.  He called my mom and told her right away.  He told his big brothers James & Andrew when we picked them up from school.  While they were both happy, they also in typical "big brother fashion" were quick to say that they already had Jesus living in their hearts for the last year.  On a side note, my super independent oldest boys BOTH have salvation stories with lots of details about where they were when they asked Jesus to live in their hearts.  However, neither James nor Andrew shared those moments with us (and one of them was evena at home).  I'm thankful that they've made those decisions, even if they didn't include me in them directly.  Aaron loves Jesus and is so excited, he has told his grandparents, family friends, sunday school teachers, aunts and cousins.

He realized the other day that he hadn't told his Pa Lynn directly so he made a video so that I could text it to Pa Lynn since he was at work.  Here's the video.

Aaron loved the response text back saying "Aaron, I watched your video several times.  I am so happy that Jesus lives in your heart now! Grandpa has Jesus in his heart also.  That means we have forever to Praise God together.  Love, Pa Lynn"

This milestone in Aaron's spiritual life is one that Jon & I have prayed for since before he was born.  I'm grateful to have shared in that precious moment with him and I'm thankful for the community of believers that Aaron rejoiced with over the phone, via text and in person about his decision to invite Jesus into his heart.  I'm most thankful for a Savior that humbled himself and came to rescue us from our sin.  Thank you Jesus!