Testimony Time

As a mom, I long to see my kids to follow Jesus. Yet they have to make that decision. I can teach, lead, point to Jesus, and pray, but ultimately, they have their own will, their own spirit. 

This is Easter week. The pinnacle, truly, in our Christian faith. God's love for us revealed in Jesus taking our sin on the cross and proving His power and victory in raising from the dead. What a wonderful thing to continually ponder. 
And, bummer, but I have not yet prepared for Easter. I want to lead my kids in some great Easter activities that really point to Jesus, the cross, and His victory. Any ideas you already have going? Please share!!
We did begin reading the story of Mary going to the tomb last night and I led them in a rhyming tune of their verse for the week for Awana, complete with motions. Today our goal is craft time to practice our verse while creating a banner that proclaims it: "He is not here; He has risen, just as He said..." Matthew 28:6.
I love that even though I can feel like I've dropped the ball in not yet being prepared for Easter, God is showing me He has gone before me and is working in their hearts. Really the pressure I can put on myself is silly. It is an important week, that is so worth celebrating. Yet, even more is the life I'm living before them and the moments I'm seizing with my kids everyday. How am I pointing them to the cross and Jesus' victory over sin and death everyday? Well, praise God, Levi & I shared the most tender moment talking about all of this last night.
Judah was scared at bedtime last night before they had both fallen asleep. I came in to pray for him and talk it through. As I was talking about God being bigger than anything, Levi interrupted, with, "Mom! I thought of something!!" I asked him what it was. He said, "If the sky and the clouds went away, we could see God in Heaven!" He was excited. I told him he was right.
Well this dialogue continued with us talking about being able to pray that God would show us in our dreams more of what Heaven looks like now. I then was able to share with them that before I was following Jesus, He gave me a dream that let me know that I wasn't obeying God.
Levi was so present in our conversation, eager to understand, and asking questions like crazy. "You mean you used to not obey God?" Ha! Yes, Levi, thanks for thinking your mother is so saintly :) Yet it was a glorious moment of getting to share my specific sins that I walked in before I followed Jesus: disrespect to my parents, pride, wanting my way and not God's. He was hanging onto every word. 
We then got to talk about the role of the Holy Spirit, coming as a helper to us once we begin to follow Jesus. He thought that was cool. He really did.
Then he said, "Mom, I want to follow Jesus." 
I said, "That is the biggest and best decision you could ever make, Levi. And it's not a small one. You can pray to God about it and let Him know."
We didn't go any further than that last night. He's 3.5. Though I believe his heart was sincere, I didn't want to rush in proclaiming, "Great! Now you're a follower of Jesus!" I'm trusting and praying that God is doing this work and will continue to teach and show him more.
I went over to Levi and gave him one last kiss before leaving. I said to him, "Levi, I think that you wanting to follow Jesus is awesome."
He smiled, and said, "Thank you, Mommy."

What a glorious thing that God rescued us from sin and death! Grateful, so grateful, for His work in Levi's heart and the testimony He has given me to share. He's gone before me to make this week of celebrating Easter awesome.