Promotion Sunday

This past Sunday at church was Promotion Sunday for the Sunday school classes. All the kids who have turned a year older and needed to promote to the next class moved up together. So, along with his preschool and church buddy Jesse, Luke promoted into the 4 &5 year old class with Ms. Sonia. When he came out of his class after church, he was beaming! With his very own little bible in hand and a treasure from the treasure box (all supplied by Ms. Sonia), he began telling us ALL about his new class, how much he LOVED his new bible and about all that he had learned that day! It was so precious to me! Especially since he rarely has spoken much of his Sunday school class in the past, except to show us what picture he colored that morning or whatever. He clung to that little bible the whole way home, looking down at it in his car seat with fond adoration! He caressed it and held it to his chest! Oh to have the faith of a child and an unabashed love for our Lord like this! I learn so much from the innocence of my son!

Once we got home, I busied myself in the kitchen preparing lunch while Luke and Ty headed out to do 'man's work' in the garage. :) A few minutes passed, and I popped my head out the garage door to ask Luke what kind of sandwich he wanted. It was then that Ty caught my eye and nodded in Luke's direction as he worked deep in the garage. I found Luke on his knees, diligently sawing a piece of wood with one of his play saws. His arms moving swiftly back and forth....his little brow furrowed in concentration. He was certainly focused. "He wanted to make a cross." Ty told me. My heart puddled at that moment. My sweet son. Moved in his own four-year-old heart by the lessons learned that day in church...desiring to have his own image of the cross to keep close.

With Ty's help, the two worked to saw the smaller piece of the cross and Ty let Luke hold the drill while they secured the two pieces with screws. The moment had much significance to me, though I know for a boy it was much simpler...a fun building project with his dad. For me, I saw my fervent prayers for Luke in motion...my mind imagined him here as a young boy, then suddenly again as a young man and then fully grown. I imagined this simple building of a cross with his earthly father as foundational to the way his heavenly father will build faith in him through the years! My mind was jerked back into the moment when I saw Luke's little face beaming at me as he held up his new cross to show me! "What is that, Buddy?" I asked. "A cross." he answered. "Uh-huh. Its quite a special thing! Do you know why?" I asked. " 'Cause Jesus died on it for us." he said. So simple yet so profound! Keep building on that, Jesus! He's got a great start!

Later that day, we spray-painted Luke's new cross to match his soon-to-be new room (did I tell you I found his new bedding? I'll post pictures when we get it completed.) It now has its own special place on the shelf in his room and he has talked about it AND his new bible non-stop since Sunday. I even found him near tears this morning when he accidentally got peanut butter from his breakfast on his bible! He was 'reading' it while eating! LOL! Sweet child! Again...to have an unabashed love like that!

But Jesus called the children to him and said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of god belongs to such as these.'" Luke 18:16