Humbled to be her mom!

My children never cease to humble me.  This one humbles me the most.  

Many times I have said "No one loves Jesus the way Emme loves Jesus!"  Her life... Her spirit... Her example... have convicted me over and over and over again.  

Last week, she and her brother went to 4H camp for 3 days.  They had a wonderful time and were tripping over each other's stories all the way home Friday night.  Both kids were excited and equally exhausted... though many stories were told, one was forgotten for the evening.

On Saturday, I heard Emme and Chad talking but I was busy working on VBS and cleaning up the house and so I didn't stop to listen.  She told her Daddy a beautiful story from camp....

Today in church, I heard my friend and pastor say "We're thankful that those of our kids that went to 4H camp had a safe and wonderful time.  Emily even took a golden opportunity to tell the kids around her about Jesus."

WHAT?!?!?

How did I miss this?  In my busy-ness... my hurry to prepare for VBS... my desire to clean my house, I didn't take the opportunity to listen to a beautiful 11 year old tell her Daddy a story that started with "Daddy, I have to tell you what happened one time with the kids in my line at camp...."

Rest assured that I took the first opportunity I had after church to pull Emme aside and ask her to tell me the story!  

I pray often that I am preparing my kids to have an answer for those who ask about the hope that is in them.  I pray often that I am preparing my children to not be ashamed of the Gospel.  I pray often that I am preparing my children to love the LORD their God with all their heart, their mind, their soul and their strength and to love their neighbor as themselves.  

I realized anew that I can pray this but it is really God who is preparing them... not me.  He may chose to use me or not.  This is His thing with each one of my kids, not mine.

For those of you who subscribe to Emme's blog, she is working on a post with the entire story.  It's best in her words.  However, the synopsis is that while the kids at camp were working on their craft, in the camp chapel, one boy spoke up and said "I don't believe in God!"  Soon, Emme was defending her God to several boys and giving answers for all of their questions.  

Emme said to me, "Mom, it made me mad that he would say he doesn't believe in God while we were in the chapel!"

With tears in my eyes and a mile-wide smile on my face, I am humbled to be her mom!