He's begun to pray, and pray often. We realize that mostly he is parroting what he hears, but it's been interesting to watch the Holy Spirit slowly connect the dots regarding when to pray, what to pray about, and how to pray. Tonight, I asked him if he wanted to start and I would finish. I offered this, because usually he really wants to pray and then he'll say, "Dear God..." and all will be silent. Tonight, he took me by surprise when he said, "Dear God, we just thank you for (and he mentioned everyone in his family by name as well as my name and my husband's), and we just thank you for loving us and thank you for your son, Jesus. In your name we pray. Amen." I kid you not. That is what came out of the child's mouth. I had nothing to add, so I just chimed in, "Amen!" and gave him a huge hug as my heart was so full.
Speaking of prayer, a few nights ago, B-boy was exceptionally fussy. As always, K-man wanted to be right by my side through it all. I was trying to calm B-boy down when I felt a tap on my leg and heard K-man whisper, "Mrs. __________, Mrs. ______________!! I have an idea. Let's pray for B-boy." He held out his tiny hands, and we knelt down beside the crib and prayed. I wish I could say that B-boy instantly stopped crying, and it was an amazing miracle...haha...that was not the case, but again, I am in awe as I watch the Holy Spirit at work in K-man's heart, connecting new dots every day.
The other day, my husband's uncle was ringing the Salvation Army bell at Wal-mart, so we took K-man to "help." All morning, we talked with him about the money people put in the big red bucket. We told him how some people don't have food to eat, beds to sleep in, clothes to wear, or toys to play with, and we told him that we were going to give some of the money God had given us and use it to help other people have food, clothes, etc. Somehow, through the ensuing 3-year-old interrogation, this turned into K-man giving money so that some other kids could have peanut butter sandwiches (his favorite), because otherwise they would never get them. We rolled with it, put 4 quarters in his wallet and headed to Wal-mart. As we rode in the car, K-man started to ask questions that indicated he was starting to understand the idea that this was going to be a bit of a sacrifice. "I'm not going to have any money left in my wallet?" Ultimately, the realization hit home, "I'm not going to share." We were prepared not to force the issue, but we kept encouraging him to see how good it was to share and to give to others in need. We were quite surprised when K-man walked right up to the red bucket, pulled out his 4 quarters and dropped them in. We were so proud of him, but then he proceeded to open his wallet further and pulled out the one dollar bill he had been holding onto since his first visit with his brothers. He struggled to pull it out, but then without hesitation, he dropped it in the bucket. I have never heard him complain. Even when he saw things in the store that he wanted, I never heard him complain about giving his dollar bill away. I don't live under the illusion that he deeply understood what he was doing, but on some level, he did. He even talked on the way home about how "those kids are going to have a peanut butter sandwich." In a small way, this was a very big act of generosity for this little man.
On the same theme of generosity, we took a trip to the dollar store to let K-man shop for gifts. We explained all day that on Christmas, we give gifts to the people we love. We've been really trying to teach that lately as he's been receiving gifts. "What does this mean, K-man?" "It means they love me." "That's right." Anyway, he again, had a slight internal struggle on the way to the store. He wasn't quite sure about buying everyone else presents and none for himself, but we pressed on. When we got to the store, I showed him all of the toys and all of the Christmas aisles, and then I asked, "Who's someone you love, K-man?" The kid who often replies, "I don't know," was very thoughtful and one-by-one, very meticulously chose presents for me, my husband, my brother who visited recently, his brothers, his momma, and his grandma. Again, despite the several things he saw that he wanted, he never threw a fit and was really delighted about the idea of giving gifts this year.
B-boy has had his share of fun moments recently as well. A pretty regular occurrence these days, B-boy will be lying on his back, flip to his tummy, get up on all fours and rock violently forward and backward, looking back occasionally and giggling (just to make sure we're all watching this exciting new skill). He's going to be another Zizi...I can just see it...a speedy, busy crawler any day now, and I'm not sure I'm ready for it!! As if things are not exciting enough over here!
Attachment with these boys is coming quickly. I sincerely miss them both when they are away, and my heart is full to overflowing when they are around. We are so looking forward to Christmas. Please pray that we would continue to be intentional and that receiving presents would only point K-man even more toward our love for him which ultimately comes from God's love for us. Please also pray that K-man would not be overwhelmed by the number of family members he will be meeting on Christmas day. Sometimes this can prove a bit troubling for him. Pray that he will be well-prepared and will become acclimated quickly.
"And this is eternal life,
that they know you the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
John 17:3
Merry Christmas!!
No comments:
Post a Comment