Training Him Up…

Jackson and I were walking into Wal-Mart the other day when we had a conversation that I’ll never forget…

Jackson: “Mama, I love you!”

Me: “I love you too!”

Jackson: “I love you a whole lot, but I don’t love you nearly as much as I love God and Jesus!”

Parenting, from the very beginning, is/has been/will be an up and down journey. It has it’s amazing, top of the world days, and it has it’s “Mama needs a timeout” days. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart, but it is so completely worth it. When I hear my child tell me that he loves God more than he loves me it just solidifies in my mind that he is grasping the relationship with God that I want him to have, and that makes all those hard days worth it. He’s “getting” what we’re trying so hard to teach him. We want to raise our children to be followers of Christ, not just good people.

Jackson has been in our church since before he was born, and he’s coming so close to making a decision about salvation. We’re definitely not pushing him, but he’s asking a ton of questions about having a personal relationship with God, and that makes my heart so happy. Helping him develop a relationship with his loving God is not a sprint to the finish line; we’re working at a steady pace with answering questions and exposing him to God’s love every chance we can get. He adores Mission Friends (with Nana and Mrs. Janice), Sunday School (with Mrs. Gini and Mrs. Laura) and Vacation Bible School (with Mrs. Jeanette and all the helpers) and we are so thankful for everyone involved in those programs that helps add more building blocks to help Jackson get one step closer to making a decision about salvation.

He may love God more than he loves me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!