One of the things that Packrat and I decided on before we even had kids was the fact that we wanted to bring up God-fearing kids.
Proverbs 22: 6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." was something that resounded strongly with us.
And on top of that, we had made a commitment way back, when we were trying so hard and failing so miserably to have kids, that we would dedicate our kids to God.
So, we've tried to keep to our side of the bargain. We baptised the kids the minute we got a chance to. Muffin recently got baptised and in true Muffin style, he shoved away the hand of the minister with a "why are you getting my head wet?" glare.
But we are most pleased with the twins and their seedlings of faith. We made the decision to send them to a Christian kindergarten because we wanted them schooled in a Christian environment. And it is heartening what they have learnt.
It being the Lenten seasson, the twins have been told the story of the Crucifixion and the hymns attached to the season of Lent and Easter. They come home asking to sing the Old Rugged Cross and talking about Jesus dying on the Old Rugged Cross.
Even on a regular day, Evan's current favourite book is the Bible. Our Bible. Not the colourful children one with child-safe pages, but ours with thin paper pages. They know the difference between the Hymnal and the Bible and love singing hymns with their Great Grandfather. When Evan is upset with the stormy, thundery weather, Jordan will volunteer to pray and ask God to protect Evan. Evan, in turn, asked us to pray for God to heal Jordan's tummy when she was ill recently.
That has greatly warmed our hearts.
Their foray into the Christian faith is also amusing. I posted on The Amazing Adventures of JED the funny comments that Evan has asked, reflecting his curiosity about God.
I like that he is asking and I like that they like it when we read from the Bible to them. Although to them, it's just a boring ol' story book with pictures. I like that Jordan is sensitive and empathetic enough to want to pray for her brother and I would like to keep it this way.
A lot of it is our responsibility and it's a big one to shoulder. We try to do something every night but what with us being busy and tired and the children sometimes being disagreeable and brattish, it can sometimes be a challenge. But it was explicitly told to us at the baptism class that this was what we were expected to do for the children. So we will endeavour.
It is also times like that, that make me think creatively of how to get Jordan into the mission girls' school of our choice. It is virtually impossible to get her in. The alternative option is a secular, competitive, hot-housing girl-eat-girl school which I am reluctant to send her to but might not have any other choice about.
For Evan and Muffin, it is set. They will go to the mission boys' school their father went to. It is my daughter that is school-less. And in the past few months, seeing the spiritual growth in the twins, it has made me rethink long and hard about trying to get the girl in!
Someone asked me, in all honesty what I would do if Evan asked to be a minister (a religious one, not the political type although both wear white). She thought that I might not approve of it because some parents don't see it as a good career path for their children.
My response is a God-fearing one. If God tells Evan to go into ministry and serve Him, who are Packrat and myself to stop him?
Technorati Tags: pre-schoolers, Christian education
0 comments:
Post a Comment