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At age four, our grandson Cadence loves to pray. He told me so last time he spent the night at our house. Saturday night when I put him to bed, we prayed together. I began, thanking God for the day and its blessings, then he and I took turns running through a list of “God Bless” intercessions:
Me: God bless Mommy.
Cadence: God bless Spiderman.
I stifled a snicker, and then an urge to correct, and continued:
Me: God bless Daddy.
Cadence: God bless Buzz Lightyear.
Me: God bless Nana Judi.
Cadence: God bless Papa Rich.
I relaxed as Cadence began to name real people.
Me: God bless baby Sawyer.
Cadence: God bless Avery.
Me: God bless Great-grandpa Rod.
Cadence: God bless Uncle Ryan.
Me: God bless Auntie Rebecca.
Cadence: God bless all the superheroes!
Me: Amen.
I told him that Jesus is the greatest superhero of all, and he slept.
The next morning in church, the collection plate circulates and Cadence, tucked in between Papa Rich and me, squirms. He understands our offerings as presents to Jesus and he wants to give one too. The basket has already passed our row as I extract a dollar from my wallet. Shawn, who collected the offering, is returning up the side aisle to his seat.
I stage-whisper “Shawn,” trying to draw his attention. Cadence joins in, desperately: “Shawn! Shawn!!” Shawn hears the child’s plea, returns, collects the dollar. Cadence relaxes, satisfied.
I’ve written before (here and here) of our grandsons’ affinity for God, the gravitational pull that worship exerts upon them, their eagerness to pray. Yet each time I see it again, I rejoice anew.
It’s part of the operating system.
10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
and I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
and they shall be My people.
11 “and they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
and everyone his brother, saying, ‘know the Lord,’
for all will know Me,
from the least to the greatest of them.
12 “for I will be merciful to their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews 8:10-12 (NASB)
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