Well I guess my kids are just on a kick of good material, because they have been constantly making us laugh/think this week! Here's just a few things from the week:
We were leaving the gym Monday morning, and I was asking a question to Cadence that she wasn't answering. Addison looks at her and says, "Cadence, if you don't answer Mommy, God will reveal our deepest darkest secrets. And if He doesn't reveal it on earth, when we get to heaven all the deepest darkest secrets will be revealed." Is this guy intense or what???
Another funny car story- yesterday Addison helped Cadence with her seatbelt without asking him first. I thanked him for helping with his sister and he says, "Oh you know, just being like Jesus." Priceless.
Cadence got a couple of barbies this week from Nana, and she picked out an African American barbie of her own choosing. That's my girl! Glad to see that she is already embracing diversity! But why wouldn't she- it's a reflection of her real world and what she already sees around her. But the greatest part was her reaction when she saw it for the first time. Her little eyes lit up and she said (in a very excited voice), "Ohhh, she's brown! She's so beautiful!"
Perhaps the sweetest moment this week came from Addison having a conversation with Chris last night. They were talking about spiritual matters, and Addison brought up the subject of baptism. He had mentioned to me a while back that he wanted to be baptized, but at the time it was when we were watching others doing that and wasn't sure if he really understood what was happening. It hadn't been brought up in a while, but last night he spoke of it with Chris. So Chris asks him if he knew what it meant to be baptized. He responds, "Well, it's dying with Christ and being resurrected to walk with him in new life."
Um, yeah son. That's a good answer.
So we are in the works of trying to make this very special thing happen. Addison mentioned that he wanted his entire family there with him, and we told him we didn't know how possible it was to be able to get everyone here, but we're certainly going to put the word out there. So, family, we all need to get together and see what we can work out! We'll be in touch...
It was just so touching to hear Chris relaying this conversation that I got tears in my eyes. At six years old, my son has such a desire to know God more and to follow Him. His heart is tender to the things of God. I wish I could credit it to good parenting to make us feel better about ourselves, but it's not. It's mostly just the sheer proof that God has written the things of the Kingdom in our hearts when we were in our mother's womb, and we are the ones that talk and reason ourselves out of it the further away from pure, childlike faith we get. We have to work much harder to be convinced and tell ourselves that there is no God than to believe that there is. It is such a joy and blessing to see this journey unfolding in Addison's life, and it puts the fear of God in me to do everything I can to guard his innocence (in the right way, not an unrealistic sheltering from real life kind of way) and continue to try to point him to the Kingdom and the King.
I'm telling ya- all the money in the world cannot buy the kind of entertainment you get in the Pate house!! I always have so many things to talk about with them that I hardly talk about the things that are floating around in my mind and heart. But it's a balance- and I do feel a season approaching that more of that is going to come. And some of that comes with what this next season is going to bring- and the fact that I really can't say much about it yet!! But make no mistake- as the Word said Mary did, I'm pondering some things in my heart........ Peace out from the Pate house, yo.
