What my kids have taught me . . .

* It's always been hard to accept Jesus as Lord. In "kid language" we explained to the kids that "Lord" means that he's our "Line Leader" and we should go wherever he follows. Especially with two boys not far apart in age, our kids always want to be the line leader and dictate what movie they will watch, who gets to sit in the front of the van with their baby sister, etc. It’s hard to let someone else take the lead, but that’s exactly what God asks us to do. Let go and let Him carry out the perfect plan that He has for each of us.

* It's always been hard to rely on things that you can't see. Our kids love waffles for breakfast. Before we wanted them getting syrup all over them we would just spread butter on the waffles to give them more flavor. What happens when you spread butter on a hot waffle? Right, it melts! I remember vividly one morning when Collin (around 2 years old) brought his waffle back into the kitchen and said "Daddy, no butter." I told him that I had put butter on it, but he insisted that it wasn't there. When I realized why he thought that, I told him to taste it. When he put it into his mouth, he immediately walked back to the table and kept eating. In my time with God over those next few days, He recalled that scene over and over again to me. When I realized this lesson and began to let that truth sink in, I realized the ways that I didn't see God at work in my life when He was so evident. I also realized the difficulty others have at "seeing" God and believing in something/someone that they couldn't see with their own eyes. All we need do is look for the results, the evidence, the difference that He makes. O taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8).

* “No” is a legitimate answer. “Why” is a legitimate question.

* You have to fall down a lot before you learn how to walk. You have to actually walk to learn how (you can't watch educational videos, talk about it, or think about it -- just do it).

Continue to Part 2