Have you ever visited Despair, Inc.?

He Already There

Nathan's Serious Searching. Nathan egg-hunting during Easter earlier this year. He's finally found the most precious thing after all.

Betty and I continue to praise God for His remarkable work in answering our prayers 3 out of 3 that our children, Anne, Elise Joy, and Nathan would accept Christ as Savior. Anne accepted Christ in 1998 when she was over three years old, then Elise Joy confessed belief in 2002 when she was 4 years old. Nathan is five years old and starting kindergarten and now, his time of salvation has come.

Last week, on September 7, Wednesday night, Nathanael made his decision to accept Christ as Savior. Mom was there to pray with him and answer his questions (Unfortunately for me, I had gone back to the office to work on preparing for Awana). But Betty relates what happened:

Nathan asked her about going to heaven and seeing Jesus. Mom answered that he would not be able to go to heaven. This was because he was a sinner. Nathan said: "I know the classroom rules, but I can't do it." Nathan started kindergarten last month and had been bringing home a rather colorful behavior report folder. It seems all the colors that could be there were present, whereas his two older sisters had brought home "boring" folders. To motivate Nathan, we had promised a reward if he could get five "greens" in a row.

He turned to Mom and said, "I know I'm a sinner. I want to believe in Jesus." Nathan had heard the gospel before. In fact, his older sister Anne had told him how to pray a year ago, and he followed her prayer. But when we inquired whether he had prayed, he said he didn't. Apparently it was only to comply with his big sister. However, this time, he was ready to pray for himself.

Resisting the Dark Side. Nathan, Anne and friend Priscilla fights back against Darth Vader at Legoland (San Diego, CA). Nathan and I refers to getting a "red" in his kindergarten folder as getting a Darth Vader. The goal is to come home with a "Luke Skywalker."

After he prayed to confess his sin and believe in what Jesus had done, Mom explained to him what the Bible said about assurance. She asked him if someone were to invite him to believe in Jesus again, would he do it? He answered matter-of-factly, "No." Then he added, "He already there."

Amen.

Milestones ... Transitions

Today I watched my son (Nathanael, 5 years old) get on the school bus to attend summer school. This was a new milestone for him--the first time to ride the bus to school. As I watched him stepped up, he was very decisive and intentional in his actions. He turned back toward me as he passed the driver (I had called to him, reminding him to find a seat and sit down properly before the bus started). Nathan shouted back, "I already know that." I felt like I had lost a little boy and gained a young man.

Wow! He's growing up fast, and accomplishing milestones left and right. I seemed to have missed the clues about his impending jump out of early childhood. I reminded myself to pay more attention and be there with Nathan as he moves into new frontiers in his young life.

I started wondering then about transitions in CM. In CM, we see each year a new generation of kids move out of CM and into the youth. I often wondered about what my role was now in their lives, if any. Being here at the church for four years, the first group of kids that transitioned out are now going to be sophomores in high school. To them and those that followed each succeeding year, who I am? Am I the guy who just works with the little kids? Just a part of a childhood memory. THE PAST.

If that were true, I would be very much disappointed. But the truth is, the majority of the youth do not connect relationally with me after the elementary-youth transition. The umbilical cord's cut and Adios to the old life. I see kids I once worked with and take the initiative to say hello--usually I say "Hello, NAME" and have to wait for a response. Otherwise we just pass each other in the hallway.

Should we in CM seek to be be more present in the children's transitions of life? Go beyond a role that transcends just saying "goodbye and hope you make it." Do the children that move on know what the transition is all about?