How does this happen?

Seriously?

Born Again and Confidence in Christ

Jeryn-Hebrew origin (Jaron) meaning "He will sing and cry out to the Lord" or "cry of rejoicing."

It seems like just yesterday that he was this size. This is one of my favorite baby pictures of Jeryn! It's so hard for me to believe that we recently celebrated his fourth birthday!

There are so many things I LOVE about this kid! This smile is one of them:

But if I had to pick one quality about him that stands out, I think it would be his confidence. The following picture captures a little of what I mean. This was the first time he ever played tennis, but he must have thought that he was Andre Agassi.

Even before he was born, I would pray for him to have confidence. I have always prayed specifically for him and his sister to be confident--I think it started out as a concern for them to be confident in their racial identity and not feel confusion about being multiracial. But then I realized that it is more important for them to be confident in the only thing that actually matters-their spiritual identity and to know and identify themselves as a child of the Most High God. And three days ago, Jeryn did just that. He placed his faith and trust in Jesus, asked Him into his heart and will be confident from this day forward in who he is in Christ Jesus!

On August 2nd, in the car on the way home, he began asking me questions and a few minutes later said he wanted to ask Jesus in his heart. When I asked him to tell me why he wanted to do this, he said, "Because I know Jesus loves me SOOO much." I asked him if he knew what Jesus did for us, and what it meant. He knew that Jesus had died for our sins on a cross and that he rose from the dead. We continued to talk, but as we were about to pray, he got distracted by something else and started talking nonstop about that. I didn't push it because I knew it would come back up. The next morning on the way to work, he talked about it again. At that time, I asked him if he was ready to pray and he said yes! He was drinking orange juice, and I saw him put it in the cup holder and clench his little hands together to pray. I said a sinner's prayer out loud and he repeated every word. I can still see his smile when he opened his eyes back up.

I know he is young, but I also know that it is just that simple. We are sinners in need of a Savior, and his name is Jesus. (John 14:6, Romans 3:23-24, Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9-13) I'm not going to worry about how much he understands beyond what we talked about because we will just continue to pray for and encourage him in his walk. I was telling mom that nearly every night when we go to bed, he asks if we can talk about God.

I remember something I heard a pastor say once about never underestimating the power of a baby. He was preaching on parenting and praying over your children to fulfill God's purpose and shape their lives. He talked about a baby in the bulrushes, and a baby in the manger, and how we should look at our children to have the potential to be the next person God will use to accomplish his will.

He is also very confident in what he has learned about God and for that I am so thankful! I want to share something that I have written down so that I will never forget. Back in May, we had a terrible accident with a rusty shovel at our house. They were playing in the dirt arena with a full size shovel they had found. I was standing just a few feet to the side of them, but it didn't actually register until it was too late. (I know that sounds ridiculous like "I didn't realize my kids were playing with a rattlesnake" but we were all laughing and talking and my brain just didn't make the connection) Moments later, little Jeryn was screaming and crying like I had never heard before, Jaiden was wailing, "It's all my fault! It's all my fault!" I was crying because I knew it could've been prevented. We rushed to the emergency room, and Jeryn did not quit screaming for 45 minutes. I was trying to console him but he was not letting up. I prayed out loud in the car all the way to the hospital. Three of his little fingers were cut right above the middle knuckles and two of the three were full thickness (thru all layers of the skin) The doctor assured us that the bones and tendons were in good shape and they got it cleaned up and sent us home. Bless his heart it was hurting so bad :( I put them in the bathtub and he was sitting, holding his hand up above his head so that it would not get near the water. He was crying off and on. I knew they were throbbing and I just couldn't bear it! Then, he got really still and started to sing. He sang the words from a song off a dvd (Joseph King of Dreams) that we had watched months earlier. How he knew the words, I do not know, because I didn't know them until he sang them, but I recognized the tune... "You know better than I, you know the way, I don't have to know why, You know better than I." He repeated that twice in the sweetest voice, and on the second time, he lowered his hand and held it under the water until his bandage had loosened up enough it fell off. I couldn't hold the tears back. (Psalm 8:2-"From the lips of infants and children you have ordained praise")

When I got him out of the bath tub, I wrapped him in a towel and carried him to Mario. Jeryn was still really quiet and still. While Mario was holding him, he sang those words again, and Mario and I were both just really moved. I got him dressed and laid down to go to bed with him, and I told him I wanted to pray for his fingers and also thank God that his fingers were going to be okay. He said, "Momma?"

"Yes?" I answered.

"When I was in the bathtub, my fingers were hurting, (and this is how I know it was the Lord working because I have NEVER heard him use this phrase before or since) But in a snap, the pain was gone. God used his power and I KNEW IT."

That's the confidence I love! :)

I couldn't say anything, I just sobbed! Earlier that week he had learned about Jesus healing the man with leprosy and he was SO excited when he told me about it. I know in my heart that he just knew and believed that God would heal him too! Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:18, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power, he writes, is "like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms."

So Jeryn,

vs. 35- Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. vs. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. vs. 37 For in just a very little while,

"He who is coming will come and not delay. vs. 38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."

vs. 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."

HEBREWS 10:35-39

I love you, son. And I rejoice in your recent decision!