Frankie's Profession of Faith

Frankie professed faith and asked forgiveness for her sins today!  I believe she did this with as much sincere understanding as an almost 4-year-old can do, and I believe she is now a professing Christian.  The Holy Spirit was Present, and it was miraculous to watch him work!

Yesterday, while we were eating a snack, I shared the gospel with her (again).  We were talking about sin, and the fact that no one can be good all the time, even when they try really hard.  I explained that Mommy sins every day, all the time, just like she does, but that the Good News of Jesus  is that Jesus died on the cross so that God could forgive our sins.  All we have to do is believe that Jesus came and rose again, and that he will forgive our sins when we ask.  All we have to do is repent and believe!  Once we do, we try our best to love God and do what he commands, because we are grateful children.

We’ve had this conversation in various ways multiple times, but yesterday it seemed  a little different.  Honestly, she seemed interested in what I had to say.  I feel a lot of time I try and tell my kids something about God, or what’s in the Bible and I get blank stares, or active “No thanks, Lady” sighs.  Anyway, she asked lots of follow-up questions, and we stayed on the topic for a while (maybe 15 minutes, which for an almost 4-year-old is a lot!).

This morning, as we were getting read y to go out the door, she asked me if Daddy sins every day too.  “You betcha!” I replied.  She thought about this for a while, and then later told me that she had heard in Sunday School that if she wanted to see Jesus in Heaven after she died, she needed to be born again, but that she didn’t think she could be born again.

This is when I stopped, and got down on the floor with her, and told her excitedly that she could be born again.  All she had to do was pray to Jesus that she understood that he came to earth, and that she knew she was a sinner, and that she needed him to forgive her sins.  And that after that, she would be born again, that Jesus would live in her heart.  I asked if she wanted to pray with me, and she said “Yes!”

So we prayed (she prayed after me): “Jesus, I believe that you are God.  I believe you came to earth and died on the cross to save me from my sins.  I know I sin, and I pray that you will forgive me of my sins.  I want to be born again, and live with you in heaven.”

After we prayed she was so excited – like wow, that was so easy!  She kind of jumped around, and said “Yay!  Now I get to see Jesus when I get to heaven!  Mommy, I can’t wait to get to heaven to see Jesus!”

I wanted to chronicle the events of what happened in detail so that years from now, when the details of this morning’s events have faded from her memory, she will have these details to hold on to.  The details of her initial profession of faith, the moment she asked the holy spirit to come live and reign in her heart.

I am so overwhelmed by these events.  I am crying writing these details, I have cried a couple times already this morning with dear friends as I got to share this story with this morning at Women’s Bible Study.  I am mostly overwhelmed by the greatness of the Holy Spirit’s work in my child’s heart.  I did not lead Frankie to profess her faith this morning. I got to be there, and that was a huge honor, but the Holy Spirit worked in her little heart this morning.

Most days I feel wholly inadequate in my ability and dedication to teaching my children about Jesus and God.  And I am!  It was a huge gift to see the Holy Spirit answer my meager prayers and work in her heart this morning.

Now, is Frankie done?  Is she even converted?  She is certainly not done, any more than I am!  The work and the prayers have only just begun.  I’m not sure if she’s converted – time will tell.  But, in much the same way we set her apart when we baptized her as a baby, something beyond my understanding happened today. Something Holy.  I want to remember today.  This is my pile of stones to remember God’s faithfulness today.

I believe Jesus’s promise: “Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in” (Rev 3:20), “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13), “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

Thank you for all the prayers you have prayed for my children, and thank you in advance for all your future prayers.