Yesterday, Todd and I were talking with the kids about the sacrifice of Jesus. You know, a little light-hearted, after-dinner conversation.☺️ We strive to be good Christians but recognize we have a lot to learn. We try to keep ourselves right with the Lord which keeps our moral compasses focused but we still mess up. We still find ourselves cursing under our breath and, shamefully, I still listen to gossip when I hear it.
When this topic came up, we explained to Ellie that people used to offer their best livestock for sacrifices to atone for their sins. We told her that to cover the cost of all sin for all humanity it would, naturally, take a larger offering. God chose His son, Jesus, to be that perfect human sacrifice.
We got deep into redemption and what that means. We talked about being a child of God and what we believe that is. We walked right off the path and deep into the woods with this conversation. We were thumping on trees to see if any random thoughts would scurry out. We turned over ideas like we were turning over soil. But, before we strayed too far off course Mitchell spoke.
He said, "We continue to sin even though Jesus died for us. Isn't that like wasting is his sacrifice? I mean, he died and we sin so it's like we don't value what he did for us. We should think of that when we are tempted. We need to make sure we don't waste his life."
And...I just looked at him in wonder. I had been trying to dissect my complicated thoughts into chunks that Ellie could grasp and Mitchell just plainly and simply stated what he thought. He didn't need fancy words or grand hand gestures, he just broke it down in simple terms.
And, Ellie got it. She quickly rattled off her thoughts and the conversation was on track again. I was quiet for a moment thinking. I thought isn't it so true that we learn from our children? Isn't it amazing how pure their souls are? Kids don't get caught up in trying to explain things properly...they speak from their hearts. And, "we need to make sure we don't waste the life of Jesus" is so huge. What a complex thought in such easy terms.
I am striving hard not to waste the sacrifice of Jesus and I am thanking the Holy Spirit for burning like a fire in the soul of my kids. I sit here wondering what I will learn next from my children. I am sure it will be something profound - these kids continue to amaze me.
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