Out of the Mouth of Babes

I know as parents we all have special memories of times our children have done or said something we wished had been caught on video or at least a sound recorder.  Even if that wasn't possible, some of the incidents were so memorable that they've stayed vivid in our mind.  Here's one memory that will be forever cataloged as "precious" to me.

I'll never forget that warm summer day several years ago, when I was driving down the street with my young son.  He was only about 4 years old.  He is the youngest of my four children and the only boy.  He was the center of attention the majority of the time and he loved it.  He was a spunky, blonde-headed little guy that seemed to be fired up from morning til night.  Even at a young age he was meticulous about the clothes he wore and whether or not his hair was combed.  His little spirit was extremely sensitive, so it didn't take much correction to keep him in line if he strayed too much in his behavior.

I'd always been very diligent in teaching my children the importance of prayer and a daily walk with God.  It was just like part of breathing, when I'd say to them it's time to pray or what do you think God would want us to do right now?

On this particular day we were just cruising down the road headed for the grocery store.  My son knew that if he behaved properly he'd receive some sort of prize at the store.  So you can imagine that he was pretty excited about getting there as quickly as we could.

All of a sudden we heard an ambulance with its siren loudly blasting.

It had become a habit when we heard a siren to start praying.  I was trying to teach him to become sensitive to other people's needs and lend a helping hand by means of a heartfelt prayer.  We would very quickly pray that God would protect the person in the accident or whatever may have occurred and heal their bodies.

On this day, as in times past, we grabbed hold of each other's hand and began praying.  I wanted him with his innocent, compassionate heart to lead the prayer. As I grasped that tiny little hand in mine, expecting the same type of prayer that was always voiced during the blare of sirens, I heard words I wasn't expecting.  In the midst of the prayer, he added his own little twist.  "Jesus", he said.  "Please take them on to heaven."  I was so shocked that at first I didn't know what to say.  "Son, why did you say that? I thought we were praying for God's healing and protection."  "Mama" his tiny voice rang out.  "Somebody has to go to heaven or Jesus will be all alone."

As you can imagine my eyes filled up with tears and my heart was overflowing. I couldn't dispute his little words and I didn't even want to.  Who knows, he may have had an inside track to that particular situation that neither one of us really understood.  I do know this - out of the mouth of babes comes a measure of purity that often we adults have lost along the way.  If I had those years to do over again.  I think I'd listen a little more intently and take better notes.  without a doubt I'd measure my own thoughts and words against the innocence of a child.
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