Yesterday our youngest made her First Communion~~a milestone in her Christian life. I hope she always remembers how excited she was about being able to receive Jesus after waiting so long for Communion. She was just adorable. She couldn't wait to get dressed. She couldn't wait to get to church. When it was all said and done, she said "I wish we could do that again; it was so exciting today!" She was so ready to be able to welcome Jesus through communion.
(As a side note, I"m happy that she won't have to cross her arms for a blessing rather than being able to take communion when we are visiting at another church. This little 8 year old is past my chin these days--she certainly looks old enough to have communion. More than once I have had to remind her so that the Eucharistic minister did not give her communion!)
It was fitting that our deacon's homily today spoke about passing faith on to our children. Just the other day I was thinking that as I look back on my life and then look at those around me, I cannot help but feel like shouting a giant "Thank You!" to my parents for giving me the gift of faith.
So many people doubt God. They "give up" on God. Or maybe they never even believed in all that "God" business.
I find it all so hard to imagine. How do they get through their days? How do they find strength? Who do they talk to? Why do they think that believers are "weak" for the fact they believe?
No, to me, those of us who can believe without seeing, who can feel God lifting them up and helping them through the rough patches in life, we are not the ones who are weak. We are strong in our faith. We believe without "proof."
Yesterday I watched my sweet little girl with a smile so bright, so eager to take the next step in her Christian journey. I pray that she will always remember she is a child of God. . .that God loves his children. . .that he loves to hear from them. I pray that she always knows that God wants what is best for her and that she has the freedom to make those choices He will love.
No comments:
Post a Comment