Sorry I've been so negligent here. The kids and I have been working through the book of Mark and it is a very enriching experience. I know I gain so much from reading with the intent of sharing the WORD with them. First, I have to think about what the main message is, then how to share it in a way preschoolers can understand, often times, I see just how piercingly true, demanding and gracious the Lover really is when we get to the nitty gritty of what does this really mean. I think some of the best things with purposeful sharing time has been our discussions. My two year old doesn't get into it much beyond the initial activity... but she has grasped such profound yet simple truths. When her brother is overwhelmed or having a hard time, she is often heard saying "Jesus will help you", so matter of fact and knowingly. It's beautiful and as I hear those words, it reminds me too "Jesus will help you", with whatever I'm dealing with.
My 4 year old is asking probing questions while we are doing activities.
I thought of the song: "on Monday, I was all alone, on Tuesday, I had my sins to atone, on Wednesday, o Lord I cried and I cried, on Thursday, o Lord, I thought I would die, on Friday, I started to pray, on Saturday, I read my bible all day, and on Sunday Lord, the heavens rejoiced, I've got the love of God in my soul... no reason to sigh anymore, no reason to cry anymore, no reason to die anymore, I've got the love of God in my soul". I printed out pictures snagged from the internet and we sang the song repeatedly. AO#1 started asking a lot about dying as we sang. He is a bit tormented by the idea of death and doesn't want his parents to die first. I tried to emphasize how awesome heaven was and that dying is nothing to be afraid of, that that is our time to be fully with the Lover in the home He is building for us. AO#1 is all into building right now and loved that idea. The more we talked, the giddier he got. He got to laughing and was so excited about heaven. But then he would start to cry and say that he wanted to die first, before me or his dad, because he didn't want us to die. What could I say? I can't guarantee to him that we will live until we are old, but I told him that we could pray we will all be old when we die and showed him pictures of my parents and grandma, showing how long they have lived. In a way, I think it's a bit much to be talking about such deep things as death with a 4 year old, but at the same time, death is our victory and life is not guaranteed. We must all know that each day is a gift.
It's sweet because we don't use this expression, but every time AO#1 prays, he says: "thank you for today and for my whole life". His sister has even started picking up on his phrase.
Yes, CEO, thank you for my whole life and those of my children and husband.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
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