McKinley Says...

McKinley, you just make me laugh more & more lately.  Yesterday on our way to Martinsville to see JoJo, you asked why the school buses were driving down the interstate backward.  Apparently due to their flat fronts, you felt like they were going in the wrong direction.   Then on our way out of JoJo's apartment building, you started a question with the words I'm sort of starting to dread... Mommy, why is that boy...  A very cute thing to note here is that you refer to all males as "boys", regardless of age, which makes the older men really smile.  Mommy, why is that boy driving his motorcyle down the hallway?  This happened to be another instance when the boy had to be at least 70 years old and was riding in his motorized cart to the elevator.  We all enjoyed a good laugh and you undoubtedly gave him a story to tell later on.  :)

Happy 5th Birthday, Elissa!

Wow!!  This year has been so wonderful with you, Elissa.  Big things have happened.  You are blossoming into this little young lady who thinks about the world in ways that challenge me to think more compassionately at times or just to pause and enjoy the beauty God places before us.  There are many times you will suggest ways to bless other people by doing kind things for them.  And the way you say, "It's so beautiful," just melts my heart.  It continues to be a huge privilege to be your mommy, and I have this sad feeling that this might be one of my last few years of getting to have that sweet title before it's cut short to just Mom.  I'll enjoy every minute of it while it lasts.

The most exciting event of your past year came at an unplanned, unexpected bathtime actually.  We sing the Gospel Fuzzies song at Cubbies each week at church.  A friend mentioned to me that she had talked through that song and its meaning with her daughter who's a little younger than you.  It hit me that while we read the Bible and pray most every day together, Daddy and I haven't asked you if you want to believe in Jesus.  So during that sweet bath time with your brother and sister listening, I simply began asking you if you had thought about the Gospel Fuzzies song before.

It starts with, "gold stands for heaven where I want to go."  From what we've learned about heaven in the Bible, Elissa, does it sound like a place you want to go?  It's where God is and where you get to live forever and ever after you're done living on earth.  You get to spend forever with God there.  Do you want to go to heaven?  You responded with a quick yes, as I pretty much expected.  The next color could be a bit trickier, but I proceeded as I prayed that Jesus would speak truth to your heart.  Ok, Elissa, but you know that dark is next, and it means we're sinners.  That means we don't do what God wants us to do, but we do what we want to do.  A few of those are God's big 10 rules we've talked about.  Don't lie.  Honor Mommy and Daddy.  Remember God is perfect and the only way we could be with Him would be if we were perfect.  Do you think you sin, Elissa?  Without hesitation you agreed that you do and then gave me some examples, like when you're mean to your siblings or don't obey right away.

I have to admit that at this point, I was starting to believe that maybe you did understand this better than I thought you did.  Because I didn't become a Christian until I was much older, it's always been hard for me to understand the authenticity of people who say they were saved when they were four or five years old.  I suddenly felt like I was catching a glimpse of what this childlike faith was all about.  God didn't make it complicated.  We make it complicated.  So we moved on.   

Ok, well then red comes next and means that Jesus died and He rose again.  God loved you so much, Elissa, that He sent His son, Jesus, to live a perfect life since we can't do that.  Because Jesus was perfect, He could die on the cross for your sins.  And He did!  But the best part was that He rose again.  He didn't stay dead.  And He's alive now and waiting for you in heaven.  Does that make sense to you?  Do you believe that?  Again, you responded very quickly that yes, you knew that Jesus was God's son and He died on the cross for your sins and He rose again, adding that it was on the third day.  You definitely know your Bible, sweet girl.  Trusting that God is using His word to teach you and call you, I moved on, getting pretty excited myself by now.   

Well, that leads to clean, and that means you're forgiven if you trust in Him.  Elissa, if you decide to live for Jesus and the way He wants you to live and to live to make Him look good and not just yourself... if you make the choice to trust Him, well, then you are forgiven.  You are clean.  God will look at you and not see your sin, but instead it's like Jesus is standing in front of you and all the ways He was good and great and perfect, that's how God sees Elissa.  You insisted I keep going and that you knew that you could trust in God, especially when you were afraid.  This didn't surprise me, because since you were two or three we've prayed in the middle of the night together so that you wouldn't be fearful of bad dreams or other things that were frightening to you.  So finally, on we went to the last color.

Well, that just leaves green for growing when we follow Him.  If you tell God all the things you just told me, and you are forgiven, then you will grow.  Do you remember the song that tells us how to grow, grow, grow?  You sang with me the song Read Your Bible, Pray Every Day.  That's right!  We read the Bible and we pray, and we get to know God more and learn how to love Him more and He'll change our hearts every day if we let Him.  He will always show us new ways to grow if we're willing to ask Him. And the best way to know how to live and grow is to live how Jesus lived.  Do you think you could live to be more like Jesus every day?  In your sweet little voice, you assured me that you want to be just like Jesus.

Oh, Elissa.  It was such a simple little moment in our simple little four-walled bathroom.  And yet, I knew it was life-changing.  I asked you to pray with me through the things we just talked about.  I repeated the colors, since you were familiar with those lines and prayed to God thanking Him that He is perfect and is in heaven, confessing that I am a sinner and have no right to be with Him, rejoicing that He sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sin and be raised again so I could live a totally different, new life with Him, and thanking Him that He forgives us and helps us grow.  You wanted me to pray a line or two and then you said you would pray and we leap-frogged our way along.  The amazing part though was that you didn't just repeat what I said.  You completely thought about what I said, and then said it yourself in your own words and talked straight to God.  It saddens me to admit this, Elissa, but you are the first person Mommy has ever prayed this prayer with.  So, thank you, sweet girl.  It was an honor and it has made me realize that it's not that scary or complicated to explain Jesus to someone.  I definitely believe that there are fruits of the Spirit in your life, which is awesome to see.  I also believe that this is just a start of something great that God will continue to work out throughout your days.  And I believe His promise that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.  So, YAY!!  :-)

Whew.  That took up a lot of space, but I suppose it's worth it all.  I am hoping to be a better writer for you this year, so that there isn't so much to include in a year's summary on your next birthday.  Here's a rapid-fire of many of the other amazing things I've enjoyed with you this year.

• You can count and read numbers really well.  You seem to have inherited your Mommy's & Daddy's math brains.  My favorite counting quote came from the backseat of the car a few months ago.  You kept asking me how to make 6 on my fingers.  I held up my hands with 5 on one and 1 on the other.  You just kept asking.  Finally, you said, No, Mommy.  I need 6 on one hand so I can add 6 + 3.  We enjoyed a good laugh as I taught you how to start with 6 and then add 3.
• You're learning how to sound out words and can read more than I realized.  You are constantly telling me what letter words begin with and asking how to spell things so that you can write them down in your notebooks.  You have this great higher-level thinking thing going on already, too.  When I gave you the camera to take pictures around the house of things that start with the letter M, you put a little picnic together on the floor with your play food and said, Look, Mommy.  Meal starts with M.  Why yes it does.
• You continue to love to dance.  You've been back in dance class with Miss April the past few months and I can see growth in what you're learning.  Daddy and I are so excited to see your final class and be surprised with what you all are planning for the end of the year performance.  You've been a really helpful big sister, too, and have been trying to teach McKinley how to dance.  She's eager to learn, and I can already imagine the two of you gracefully dancing together soon.
• You've been really excited to be a nighttime resident of a bunk bed since Christmas.  You seem to think it's your own little world up there.  I always wanted one when I was little, so it's fun to watch you enjoy it so much.
• You are very creative.  Arts and crafts are one of your favorite things right now.  You like to make jewelry and draw pictures with patterns and colors and shapes.  It's fun to see your personality be well rounded as you make really structured sort of designs and then flip and do something really abstract and creative.  Balance in your personality is cool to see.
• You are tough.  For your yearly checkup at the doctor, you had to get 4 shots.  You were so brave.  No tears.  Amazing!  And a few days afterward, you said, Mommy, since I got my four shots and it just hurt for a minute, I think I can get my ears pierced now.  A few nights later we went as a family and there were a few tears, but only for a minute.  The smiles above quickly followed.  McKinley enjoyed her sympathy sucker, but said she's not getting her ears pierced even when she's 5 years old.  :-)
• You are a really great big sister, Elissa.  Ethan and McKinley watch you and learn from you and adore you, really.  Recently you've been making sacrifices when they want something you have or if there is a limited number of something.  You just gave up your favorite applesauce this weekend.  And you do it with such a content heart.  It's just beautiful to watch.

Well, sweet pea, there will be more to come.  You fill each day with joy for your daddy and me.  Thanks for making me laugh, loving me as one of your favorite people, and helping me know Jesus more through your innocent faith.  Praying you  know Him more and love Him as much as your little heart and mind know how.  All my love, Mommy