A Tender Heart

Tonight was one of those nights that makes me really understand the verse "but Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart..."

I was rounding up the kids to get them in bed and found Jake reading a Bible study book that I brought home today - "The Names of God" by Ann Spangler. I am in a Bible study with six other women - we've been meeting for seven years and it is a huge blessing in my life. I have been very excited to get into this book; it studies 52 names of God found in the Bible and what they mean.

Jake was reading so intently, I hated to interrupt and send him off to bed. When I told him it was time, he looked up at me and said, "Mom, can I get up early tomorrow and keep reading this book?" We decided that we are going to do that together every morning. He is so excited. He said, "I've been reading page 88. I really like page 88. Can I put this bookmark there?"

When I was tucking him into bed, he prayed for his dad at work, for Maggie not to get in trouble at school and for me to have a good night's sleep. Then he prayed that his Bible study would be good in the morning. I had a hard time saying "good night" in a normal voice. He has such a tender heart.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He is directly responsible for Maggie asking Jesus into her heart. It was a few years ago - they were playing in the toy room in the basement. They came upstairs afterwards and told me that Maggie was a Christian. I asked what had happened, did he tell her how to pray...with visions of the two of them kneeling and praying together... To which Maggie replied, "No, Mom, he just told me where I would go if I didn't ask Jesus into my heart, so I did it." I guess that's one way to witness!