They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized…
Mark 10:39
I’ll never forget the day Hailey asked Jesus into her heart. She had just come to live with us, and had not heard much about Jesus before. We had been taking the kids to church, and Hailey wanted to know who they were talking about. I sat with her in my lap telling her about Jesus, and reading to her from the word. She had brought up a few things that had happened in her life, and I was able to tell her of a God who heals all hurt, a God who will never leave her, a God who when all else fails, and everyone is against you, will stand by your side. I told her of times when he had been there for me when I felt alone. We talked about him dying on the cross for our sins.
Hailey is not the first child I have had the opportunity to share the gospel with, but she is by far the first child to ask me such complex questions. She is a very deep and concrete thinker. It was challenging to explain to a concrete thinker how we believe in a God we cannot see, or why things happened to her in her short life. We literally talked for hours about the things of God. We even talked about the Santa (lie) vs. the Jesus (truth). It was amazing, and eye opening for me. I always kept things very simple in my time serving in children’s ministry, I just assumed that at that age, they were only going to understand a little. But, Hailey showed me that is not always the case. It was vital for someone to sit down and go deep into the word with Hailey who was only 5. During our conversation, I questioned myself many times about whether or not I was getting to deep, but you know what? After hours of talking and explaining, and reading to her out of the word, Hailey stopped looked at me and said, “so how do I get Jesus in my heart?” So we prayed. She has served him ever since. And I mean really served him.
About a month ago we had begun attending a church. Really God led us there. They had set up a baptism service, and the children’s leader talked with the kids about what baptism was all about. Though Hailey had been taught about baptism, it was explained to her in such a way that really clicked in her head. Before we could even get home she was begging to get baptized. I was shocked when I asked her why she wanted to get baptized, and she gave me this long and complex, (again deep) answer. I could not in good conscience deny her this opportunity. And there you have Hailey was baptized, and it was BEAUTIFUL! I cried the whole time. I am so proud of her, and I know that she is going to do great things in her life. She already has!
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