Ash Wednesday

After a pretty busy day at home and taking the two boys to gymnastics, we came home, got ready and headed up to church (the best church ever -- Irving Bible Church) for the Ash Wednesday service. I'd told Josh we were going to the Ash Wednesday services for the first day of Lent. He's full of questions right now and I LOVE IT! I hope that his hunger for knowledge -- ESPECIALLY about my Jesus never ceases! What I find odd is that... with other topics.. he'll continue to ask questions about things but when we talk about Jesus... he KNOWS that THE answer... is THE answer. If you find your answer in His Word -- that's the end all be all and that's the last word -- PERIOD! How refreshing to finally have someone that truly has the last word be My God! :) It almost makes this whole parenting thing seem easy - you need an answer, you seek it in the Word and that's that! (just kidding -- if it were ONLY that easy!)

ANY-WHO - I tangent. None of my explanations were sinking in so I handed him the February issue of Chatter so that he could read about it. There were several large words that were really discouraging him and since I didn't think riding down Highway 114 reading was the safest method, I just said, "Pay attention at the service and they'll tell you everything you need to know and then we can talk about it on the way home."

We met my friend Dee, and her son, Tyler (and daughter Trinity) there. I've known Dee ... pretty much since I started attending IBC when Josh was... wow... 2 years old! That's amost 8 years ago! We've led Sunday school classes together; we've subbed together; we've taught AWANA together. She's the coordinator for NICHE - North Irving Christian Home Educators. I'm going to join -- even though I'm not in North Irving... because it's Dee! :) So we sat with her and I watched Josh in the row before me intently listening... at the end, I really think he started to "get it."

He understands what the Lenten season is... how those 40 days are representative of lots of different circumstances where the 40 days comes into play. He understands that the mark of the ash on your forehead is a symbol of repentence and sorrow. He understands now that many people gave up things during Lent -- and they discussed those reasons behind that. He chose, on his own, to give up desserts. I said if he did that, then I would as well. I talked to him about how we all get so entangled up in our own lives... all the different sports, activities, rushing here and there and that sometimes God gets left out in all the "stuff"... when all the "stuff" we're doing should be go glorify His name. That by giving up something you desire daily... let it serve as a gentle reminder to you that... God is there daily... waiting for you to want him just as much as you want that dessert with your meal... to take that time to focus and remind yourself that prayer, and spending time with God is more important than ANY tangiable thing you could ever want.

It was such a refreshing conversation... And for him to think this Christianity thing is really "cool"... well... for this mom... I KNOW it is! :)