Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Questions

Most of my posts will be about couponing and saving money but here is were the ETC. in the title comes in. This is not about politics but it is about religion. Please allow me to just rattle for a moment. First of all I am not a very good writer. My husband, my cousin, they are good writers. Me, I just write it like it sounds. I add commas were I feel like it. Hopefully as I school my kids some of the language rules will rub off on me, but I doubt it.

Anyway, I have this dilemma. I thought sharing it would help. First of all I am a Christian. I serve, and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. I aspire to put Him first in all I do, most of the time I fail but fortunately His grace is sufficient even in this. Here is my issue, I have an 8 year old daughter that "wants" to be saved. I know this shouldn't be a problem, right? I should be jumping for joy. Here is the problem when you ask her what it means to be a sinner she can't really answer you. Part of it is because she is shy in this area and she doesn't want to be wrong, don't we all do that? Part of it is her age and her innocence in worldy matters, she just doesn't realize all that is out there. When I say are you a sinner? She knows that she does wrong things even though she can't explain it. Then she says, "How do I get saved?" I try to explain it but it comes out in the platitudes that we all use, like "Well just ask Jesus into your heart." Have you ever really thought about that statement? She looks at me like I am crazy. I tell her that Jesus calls her and she will feel it and then she asks Him in and then He forgives her sins and lives inside her heart. Hopefully it sounds a little better when I tell her than it does here. :) She says, "Well I don't see Him, how does He get in there?" I feel like I am stuck in a vicious cycle. Here the Lord tells us to witness to all and I am having a hard time even explaining to my child how to be saved!

My son was saved young. My husband and I were kind of hesitant so we sent him to our preacher and had him talk to him. The preacher questioned him and then said he seems to know all the right answers so we don't want to discourage him, because only God really knows if he is saved. So he was baptized as a believer. I was seven when I went to the altar but I had no clue what I was doing! Even now at 32 as I read my Bible I find new things. I have read through it a couple of different times but as my experiences with life change so do the things that jump out at me from the Bible.

I got the novel "Bone Box" for Christmas. It is about finding the ossuary or bone box of the high priest from Jesus' time. One of the themes in the book is that lots of people "believe" in Jesus but few really follow Him. Isn't that the truth.

But back to my issue, should we push the young child to accept that they are saved at a young age or encourage them to wait until they are older and truly understand. I ask her why does she want to be saved and she mentions, "I want to be babitized." (She does add the b to the word) I don't want her to do it just because she thinks it is cool to do.

I think I will fall back on my old stand by and let my husband talk to her. God has blessed me with a man that truly loves the Lord, and I think he is much better at this business than me.

Anyway if you have any thoughts on this matter feel free to share. I don't want to hold my daughter back. In her school work she does Bible and the program often ask, "Are you saved?" Her answer is "I don't know." She is very honest about the whole thing. It breaks my heart because she feels like she has asked for Jesus to be her Saviour but she hasn't received an answer. I know some denominations believe that this is impossible, that without Jesus she would never have asked in the first place. I can't really tell her that she is saved, because I don't know that.

Pray for me.

1 comment:

  1. You really know how to throw a curve ball, don't you?
    I completely understand your dilemma. I was "saved" at age 8, but only because all my friends were doing it (peer pressure in church? whodathunkit). Because I had been in church all my life, it was easy for me to regurgitate the typical, accepted responses. In other words, I knew the "Bible speak." Perhaps your daughter is in the same position?
    Developmentally, few children are able to grasp the nuances of "being saved." They have yet to truly understand the concepts involved, especially such an abstract thought as faith in a God you cannot see, touch, or encounter in the physical world. But children do know the difference between right and wrong, and it sounds to me like your daughter (I keep wanting to use her name!!!) is concerned about being "wrong." She may also be afraid of going to hell, and convinced that she's headed that way unless she's saved.
    Is she showing a lot of anxiety over the issue? If so, and she seems scared of hell, then I would let her talk to the pastor or your husband and let her take the next step in her journey. It would give her peace of mind, even if she doesn't completely understand. Although I no longer consider my age 8 conversion as "genuine," it was a great comfort to me over the years as I wrestled with the more abstract concepts involved in religion. It was a home base, if you will.
    Rest assured, God knows that you are doing your best for your daughter. You are doing everything you can to raise your children according to His teachings, and it shows. The fact that she wants to be saved is a testament to your love for the Lord. As hard as it sounds, just trust and have faith. God will take care of your daughter, and you. After all, she is seeking.....and He's promised to be found.
    Love you guys!

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