By pessimistic nature I do not believe that a young child has the ability nor the comprehension to get saved. I've never agreed with the concept. And so when they have the invitation at the end of VBS each year I want to grab my little Katce and run for our lives. This outlook isn't without merit. Last year when Katce was sitting at the end of VBS listening to the prayer a girl grabbed her arm and said, "Come on Katie-Grace, if you come up and say the prayer...you'll get a Bible!" So Katce grabbed her hand and went on up to get her Bible. But there was a major problem halfway through the prayer when they told Katce she could go to heaven and live with Jesus...,"I DON'T WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN AND SEE JESUS! I'M STAYING RIGHT HERE WITH MOMMIE AND DADDY!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "AND YOU CAN HAVE YOUR DUMB, OLD BIBLE!" and she flung that Bible and ran into my waiting arms out in the vestibule. For weeks, even months after that Katce didn't like God, Jesus, or anything church related. If He was going to take her to heaven without her family then in her young mind...she was done with him. She was staying with us and that was that!
So this year after we sat and the preacher began to get close to making the prayer invitation, I thought, man, we need to be outta here....but something made me stay. Call it intuition. Call it curiosity. Call it what it truly was...GOD. Pastor began to preach and I felt my stomach knot up...if Katce wasn't receptive, Tim and I would spend another whole year trying to get our youngest daughter to love and trust God. I opened my eyes and watched her hold her folded hands tight and pray like she was truly listening. "Momma, you mean if I ask Jesus in my heart, I can go to heaven someday to see my Jeffy and Jesus?' she asked wide eyed in a serious whisper.
"Y-yes Darling, if you ask Jesus in your heart you can someday go to heaven to see your Jeffy and Jesus,' I answered through a choked up sob and nearly dying inside with emotion.
She clutched my hand and said so quiet and serious that I could barely here her small still voice, "Then I guess I better say that prayer. Could you help me?" She looked so innocent so full of anticipation that I started to cry.
Okay, Lord, give me the words and the courage...,"Say, Dear Jesus," and she whisoerd, "Dear Jesus,"...and we prayed the prayer together. "Let's go get my Bible," she yelled and grabbed my hand.
We waited in line, Katce smiling, me sobbing. Lord I cannot believe how you have used Jeff's death and now this. Thanks to Jeffy's death, my Babiest Girl is saved. She's saved. Jeff, she will indeed see you in heaven someday....
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