Cadence and Friends at Preschool Graduation. San Diego. July, 2011.
Editor’s Note: Last week, after reading my post about my grandson taking communion, my friend Linda sent me two amazing little memories of her sons’ preschool days. I share them with you today. Full disclosure: I have an ulterior motive. I believe Linda should start her own blog. Will you please join me in encouraging her?
A Child Shall Lead Them: Guest Post by Linda Ellison
We enrolled our two-and-a-half-year-old son to attend Noah’s Ark preschool the first year it opened its doors. He adopted readily to the socialization, fun and blessed teachers. He was about three-and-a-half or so when he refused to allow us to take him home one afternoon. Instead he insisted the three of us hold hands–he, his daddy and mommy–as he led us up the stairs from the playground.
He led us past the fellowship hall and went straight toward the sanctuary door. “Daddy, please open this door it is too big for me” he said. Daddy opened up the door and we stood there looking into the narthax, not knowing what he wanted next. He looked up at us, placed his index finger over his little mouth and told us to be very quiet.
He spoke in a quiet voice almost a whisper when he said, “This is God’s house so we have to be quiet, ok?” We nodded approvals as he took us into the sanctuary. We, his daddy and mommy had never been in this church before and we were not a Christian family at the time. We were unaware the preschool had children’s moments once a week in the sanctuary.
He walked us down the center aisle very slowly, almost reverentially for a three-and-a-half-year-old. When we got to the front of the altar he looked up at the cross and said, “This is God’s house and the cross is where his son Jesus was, but I can’t remember why.”
The three of us stood there for what seemed to me to be forever, when all of the sudden he looked up to us and said, “Okay, we can go now.”
And in a whisper he asked his mommy, “What’s for lunch?”
As the family grew to have three sons, each of them attended Noah’s Ark. That experience changed our family life forever.
One day during breakfast our son asked his daddy, “What do angels eat for breakfast?”
His daddy replied, “I don’t know son but I will find out and let you know, okay?”
“Okay, daddy. Let’s go to preschool now. I don’t want to be late!” So off daddy and son went to go to the Ark.
When daddy did not return from having taken son to preschool I was wondering where he went. Often times when he was on swing shift it afforded us daytime dates and I was in hopes of an unanticipated one. As I reflect now on that sunny warm day I realize cell phones were not so readily available as I would have given him a call to ask where he was. I did not hear from him all morning.
The car did pull up with daddy and son after preschool let out. I had lunch ready for us so we sat down to eat. When our meal was done our son scampered down from the table to go play.
As I was clearing the table from the meal my husband handed me some dishes and said, “I have something to tell you.” I put down the dishes and stood in the quiet kitchen wondering what he meant. (Recall from the prior story we were not a Christian family). He began to tell me after he took our son to preschool he went to the church office.
“I walked in to see if I could speak with their pastor. You know I needed to find the answer to what angels eat for breakfast. Pastor Chet Larson was in his office and warmly welcomed me in. We had a chat about the Lord and about the angel topic.”
I replied with, “Oh that was a great idea to go to the pastor of the church associated with the preschool. So tell me what he told you?”
My husband got real quiet for a moment as he looked down at the floor, sort of looking for words, then rose his head and looked me straight in the eyes and said,
”Honey today . . . I . . . gave my . . . life to the Lord.” Needless to say I was in shock! I asked him all the details of course as we women are so inquisitive about details. He simply said, “Well, after the chat we had about the Lord and angels it was simple. Pastor Chet Larson was easy to speak with about my salvation and other matters. This is a grand day.”
“Oh and by the way, angels eat something called manna from heaven. I need to go tell our son that before we both forget he asked me.”
“And a child shall lead them” took on an entirely different, life-changing meaning.
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Isaiah 11:6 (KJV)
I’m sharing Linda’s story over at Jennifer Dukes Lee’s Tell His Story community. Please stop by and read. You’ll be encouraged.
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