Every daddy's prayer

It was one of those one-in-a-lifetime moments.  It's a moment every Christian parent hopes and prays for.  It's the moment when your child, without manipulation, without coercion, decides of their own will to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ.  This morning my five-year-old daughter made that decision. 

For several months I've been doing morning devotions with my  two little girls out of the book "Training Hearts, Teaching Minds."  It's based on the shorter catechism and brings to our breakfast table the truths of the faith at a level that honestly teaches all of us.

We've read about "the chief end of man," God, the Scriptures and, over the last couple of weeks, sin.  Now, sin has fallen out of favor in recent days, but fortunately those old English and Scottish divines from the 1640's , those who  framed the WSC knew how to talk about it.

Somehow, by God's grace, after all these months, something clicked in my daughter's heart and mind this morning.  My older daughter, who vividly remembers the moment her grandmother "led her to Christ" had the great privilege of leading her sister to Christ (with a little coaching from dad).

My older daughter vividly remembers sitting in the airport five years ago waiting to depart for Kosovo.  My mom was with her as we wrestled with the ticket agents trying to get all of our junk checked into the airline.  Off to the side, my mother prayed with my then three-year-old to invite Jesus to take control of her life. 

Since then we've often wondered if a kid that age is able to make that kind of decision.  Normally, I would say probably not.  And yet she has demonstrated "fruit in keeping with repentance."  This morning my understanding was again challenged as 8-year-old Madison related how, when she was three, her "mimi" had prayed with her in the airport before leaving for Kosovo.

As my oldest talked to my youngest I thought, "oh man...this is happening so fast!  I want her to remember this day!"  As I've been privileged by God to lead others to Christ I've often had them write the date and time of their conversion in their Bibles.  But Reilly is 5, the Bible she has isn't going be used for long...it's mostly pictures.  So I did what any dorky dad would do.  I grabbed my camera phone and surreptitiously videoed the my oldest praying with my youngest.

 Within the hour I'd posted it up to my YouTube account where it won't get lost.  I haven't posted the video here because it's a private, family moment.  But it's a moment none of us will ever be able to forget.

Thank you Father, for redeeming another of your children.