A Pastor In The Making...

   This has been an emotional week for me.  Nothing that is particularly that big of a deal, but it seems that all my stored up emotions from situations over the past month or two caught up with me this past Monday.  I found out some surprising news, that was definitely not the end of the world, and cue the water works.  In hind sight, I know I was releasing emotion from LOTS of different things and I just could not stop crying.  I thought I had gotten in under control and then a phone call from my mom just released even more.  Here I am balling on the phone to her while filling her in on different events over the past month that she had been on vacation!  While I was crying, Eli came in the room and asked me, "Whats wrong, Mommy?" I told him that I was really ok, even though I was crying and that sometimes we have a lot of emotion that just needs to come out.

    A little while later he heard me telling my mom a story and sharing an opinion about the situation that was, shall we say, less than loving.  Of course I would like to not say certain things in front of my kids, and really I would like to not think them or feel them at all.  But I'm still in the sanctification process and I let this one slip without realizing it.  Then Eli interrupts me and says, "Mommy...mercy is when you give someone a second chance...even when they don't deserve it!" Needless to say it stopped me in my tracks and forced me to correct what I was saying, as well as let out a laugh or two!  This kid is amazing!  He has learned that line about mercy from his favorite movie, the Jonah veggie tales movie (which he has watched well over 40 times!)  So the day went on and I moved beyond the waterfall and found God in the places where I needed to see Him.  By today all of that seemed to be way in the past and very distant from me.

    Today Grant took Eli to school and I stayed home with Callie so I could get some cleaning done at the house.  When I picked Eli up from school his teacher stopped me and asked if everything was alright with a lot of concern in her voice.  I was surprised by the level of concern and told her that I was doing great, actually.  Then she told me that Eli had told them earlier, "My mommy is VERY upset!  She is crying and crying and VERY sad!" Then she told me it caused some alarm in them because Grant had dropped him off at school instead of me! So she had been thinking about me and praying for me! Oh I wanted to laugh and at the same time was honored that Eli was carrying me in his heart.  . I assured her that I was really fine and that a couple days ago I had a little bit of a rough day but we are actually doing quite well.  His teacher then shared how sweet Eli is and how sensitive and caring he is.

   I am consistently amazed at this little man of God.  He has such a tender heart toward the Lord and truly loves to think about God and talk to Him.  Last night we were walking into a restaurant and he looked at me and said, "Jesus says hi Mommy!"  Oh I cannot imagine him any other way!  He is caring, compassionate, loves to share, and such a delight to be around!