There are moments that take your breath away.
When you hear that tiny heartbeat for the first time after the doctors said it wasn't possible...
When you see that face for the first time and know he's yours...
When he says his first word. When he take his first steps. When he says, "I love you." Those are moments you don't forget.
Then there's the moment that happened Monday night. The moment I had prayed for since I first saw that little peanut on sonogram.
Monday night we were at home doing our normal Monday thing. Stewart was at deacon's meeting, so I was doing bedtime. Zachary and I read the story of Zaccheus out of his Jesus Storybook Bible. After the story, I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to ask him some questions about the story. Somehow we got on the subject of hell. (I have no idea where his fascination with hell came from, but he has been talking about it for a couple of weeks. It may have been because Stewart preached on the judgment several weeks ago.) So with that open door, I asked, "So how could you not ever have to even worry about hell or the 'lake of fire?'"
"You go to heaven."
"Well, what is the key to getting into heaven?"
"Doing good things."
"Yes, but what does John 3:16 say?"
Zach quoted: "“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
"The key to heaven is Jesus. If you have Jesus in your heart, that's how you get to heaven. We can't just do good things to get to heaven. We all have sin in our life. Have you sinned?"
"Oh yes!"
"When you ask Jesus into your heart, you admit to Him that you are sinner and you want Him to come into your heart and save You of your sins. When you do that, you live in heaven forever! Do you know who all is in heaven?"
"Poppa Charles! And Jag!" (That's our cat we used to have.)
I chimed in, "Maybe so. And Granny-mom. And all those guys you read about in the Bible? They're in heaven, too, because they did what God told them to do. The key to getting into heaven is to pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and save you from you sins."
Zach replied, "I want to do that!"
That moment. My heart raced. My soul leaped with joy.
"Let's wait for Daddy. He'll want to talk to you and then we can all pray together!" Then I shot off a quick text:
Needless to say, Daddy was home quicker than he thought he would be. While we waited, Zach and I read Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, and 1 John 1:9. Stewart walked in while we were talking through those verses. Within 5 minutes, Stewart had asked all of the questions he normally asks kids, and we all bowed our heads as the angels in heaven started rejoicing. A new name is written down in glory, and it's Zachary Charles Holloway.
We called all the grandparents and the rest of the family. I texted all my friends. Zach jumped and shook as he talked on the phone. Yes, he got it. He understood what he had just done. He was ready to tell the world. And first thing the next morning, he told his brother. And Evan, of course, beamed!
This morning, Zachary made his public profession of faith in our church, on what would have been Poppa Charles' 83rd birthday.
And once again, the moment took my breath away.
When you hear that tiny heartbeat for the first time after the doctors said it wasn't possible...
When you see that face for the first time and know he's yours...
When he says his first word. When he take his first steps. When he says, "I love you." Those are moments you don't forget.
Then there's the moment that happened Monday night. The moment I had prayed for since I first saw that little peanut on sonogram.
Monday night we were at home doing our normal Monday thing. Stewart was at deacon's meeting, so I was doing bedtime. Zachary and I read the story of Zaccheus out of his Jesus Storybook Bible. After the story, I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to ask him some questions about the story. Somehow we got on the subject of hell. (I have no idea where his fascination with hell came from, but he has been talking about it for a couple of weeks. It may have been because Stewart preached on the judgment several weeks ago.) So with that open door, I asked, "So how could you not ever have to even worry about hell or the 'lake of fire?'"
"You go to heaven."
"Well, what is the key to getting into heaven?"
"Doing good things."
"Yes, but what does John 3:16 say?"
Zach quoted: "“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
"The key to heaven is Jesus. If you have Jesus in your heart, that's how you get to heaven. We can't just do good things to get to heaven. We all have sin in our life. Have you sinned?"
"Oh yes!"
"When you ask Jesus into your heart, you admit to Him that you are sinner and you want Him to come into your heart and save You of your sins. When you do that, you live in heaven forever! Do you know who all is in heaven?"
"Poppa Charles! And Jag!" (That's our cat we used to have.)
I chimed in, "Maybe so. And Granny-mom. And all those guys you read about in the Bible? They're in heaven, too, because they did what God told them to do. The key to getting into heaven is to pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and save you from you sins."
Zach replied, "I want to do that!"
That moment. My heart raced. My soul leaped with joy.
"Let's wait for Daddy. He'll want to talk to you and then we can all pray together!" Then I shot off a quick text:
Needless to say, Daddy was home quicker than he thought he would be. While we waited, Zach and I read Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, and 1 John 1:9. Stewart walked in while we were talking through those verses. Within 5 minutes, Stewart had asked all of the questions he normally asks kids, and we all bowed our heads as the angels in heaven started rejoicing. A new name is written down in glory, and it's Zachary Charles Holloway.
We called all the grandparents and the rest of the family. I texted all my friends. Zach jumped and shook as he talked on the phone. Yes, he got it. He understood what he had just done. He was ready to tell the world. And first thing the next morning, he told his brother. And Evan, of course, beamed!
This morning, Zachary made his public profession of faith in our church, on what would have been Poppa Charles' 83rd birthday.
And once again, the moment took my breath away.
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