Celebrating The Unique Ways the Holy Spirit Calls Children to Jesus Blog post #28

I love hearing about the moment that the Holy Spirit calls a child to follow Jesus. Although the end goal of salvation is the same, the way the Holy Spirit intentionally draws children to Him is specifically and uniquely designed for each of our children. Our three older children have experienced the saving power of Jesus, and I love how their journeys are uniquely their own.

For our oldest child, Sally Lloyd Jones’ book, the Jesus Storybook Bible’s chapter about “The Good Shepherd” and the Lost Sheep by Caroline Jayne Church made a significant impact on her soul as a young child. Here is the testimony she shared at her baptism:

Mackenzie’s Testimony-In June 2017,  I was 6 years old, and I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins, and I wanted to follow Him. Now my sins do not separate me from God, and I get to go to Heaven one day with Jesus. It really amazes me that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and that He would go after one lost sheep like me, and leave the 99 sheep behind just to find me. 

Ever since that day, I can tell Jesus has been changing me. The Holy Spirit helps me be kinder to my siblings and be brave in times when I am scared. One way that Jesus has helped me be brave is to get baptized today. I have been scared of getting baptized, but I know that this is the next step that I need to take in following Jesus. 

For our second born, The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden by Kevin DeYoung and illustrated by Don Clark made a significant impact on her faith journey. Here is her testimony from her baptism:

Juliana’s Testimony- On January 10, 2018 I wanted to become a Christian to follow Jesus. I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins, and He did! One of my favorite Bible story books that my mom read to me talked about how Jesus was the “snake crusher.” In Genesis 3:15, the Bible says that although Satan will bruise Jesus’ heel, Jesus will crush Satan. Jesus is more powerful than Satan. I love Jesus, and I want to live all of the days of my life for Him. 

For our third born, the Holy Spirit spoke to his heart while we were right in the middle of the pandemic, on January 7, 2021. One incredible resource we had access to from Nathan’s brother’s church was RightNow Media. Throughout the pandemic, we intentionally explored the resources on Rightnow Media to specifically grow spiritually as a family. One night, we were a couple of episodes into Phil Vischer’s series on Epheisians, and the concept of reconciliation lodged deep inside Ethan’s heart. As soon as the episode concluded with the reflection questions about Ephesians 2:16, Ethan said to me, “I don’t want to be separated from God anymore. I want to experience “reconciliation” and be restored to God.” 

To hear my then 6 year old son be able to articulate this rich theological truth that I didn’t fully grasp until adulthood astonished me. When spiritual truths are taught in a child-friendly way, our children can grow exponentially in their spiritual journey. It’s like when Jesus said in Matthew 19:14 “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Their childlike faith is much more receptive than our sometimes jaded or doubtful adult mindsets.

So as we celebrated Ethan’s baptism tonight, I paused to celebrate each one of our children’s walks of faith and the growth they are each experiencing in unique ways.

Thinking about our youngest child, I love the way the Holy Spirit is teaching him to pray such heartfelt prayers. I love asking Kaden to pray before we eat dinner each night, because I love hearing what the Holy Spirit is already laying on his heart at 5 years old. Usually his prayers including thanking Jesus for “our healthy feast” and praying specifically for his siblings or parents. (Full disclosure: our meals don’t qualify as a feast, but I love that in his heart he considers the meal a feast. 🙂 )

The other day Nathan and I were driving back to his parents’ house, and it was just the three of us in the minivan. From the backseat, we could hear Kaden praying by himself. He said, “Dear Jesus, please forgive me of my sins. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Hearing him say those words unexpectedly on his own, helped us see that the Holy Spirit is calling his heart, too. Although he has prayed these words, we want to continue to observe to make sure he doesn’t just have a knowledge in his brain of salvation, but really understands what it means deep down in his soul. However, we are very encouraged to hear him begin to take this step faithfully.  It seems that the ages of 5-6 years old are the sweet spot of time that our children have been receptive to the Holy Spirit’s gentle voice. We look forward to seeing how Kaden continues to grow in his faith and makes his relationship with Jesus his own. We never know what day it will be when spiritual truths click and the Holy Spirit changes the lives of our children. 

Friend, I am curious to read which experiences have shaped your children in their spiritual walks. Some children begin following Jesus in a Sunday School class, church service, vacation Bible school, church camp,  school cafeteria, on the way to a volleyball game, or right before bedtime with their parents. Jesus can meet our children anywhere they are. Our job is to cultivate their souls, so they will be ready to recognize His voice. Today I am praying for you reader friends that the children you love will come to a relationship with Jesus soon. Following Jesus is the best way we can invest in their futures and experience God’s glory in their unique lives.