A Monumental day in our household....

Well today is a day I have been praying for for 6 years.  I just read a prayer I wrote in my journal when I was pregnant with Reese-
It says this:
Jan 20,2006
There is so much I want you to know! I continuously surrender my plans and hopes for you to God because I know he can dream and write your story a lot better than I ever could.  I pray God will do miracles, and change many lives with your little life.  I pray and wait anxiously for the day God captures your heart forever. What a beautiful thing! Oh how deep my desire is to be a good mother for you little one!
Love, your mom.

Well, God answered a prayer I started praying that day in January 2006 TODAY.  February 8 at 7:08pm!

Wow! What an amazing thing! We had just gotten in bed to read a story about a raccoon solving mysteries and finished that one up and Wheeler (to my surprise) said he wanted to read their Jesus Storybook Bible. I flipped open to the story about John the Baptist and we were all laughing about how he ate bugs and his name is the same as daddies name.  Then I finished the story about when he baptized Jesus and closed the book.  Reese said "Did going in that water make sure that God said he loved Jesus?" So we talked about how the water isn't what saves us but it is that Jesus is in our hearts and we know and understand what he did on the cross for us that saves us.  Then she said "i know that mom, you and dad have told me that. And i heard it at either school or church or somewhere" I laughed and said something about yes, it is the best news we could ever get so it is fun to talk about a lot.  She asked me if she had asked Jesus in her heart before.  I told her I didn't know, that would have been something she would have talked to God about.  Then she said "well can I ask him in my heart now?" and I started to tear up and said sure! (Meanwhile Wheeler was doing donkey kicks on the other end of the bed so I started saying Oh so Holy mom prayers like -- God please let wheeler be still and hush for 2 minutes or I may hold his mouth closed!

So I asked Wheeler if he wanted to pray (key word) quietly along with Reese as she made a big decision and he said yes. So Wheeler, Reese and I sat holding hands on her bed and she prayed something like this...

God, please come into my heart and clean out all of my yucky stuff and stay there forever so that you can love me forever and we can always be together.  Please don't leave my heart so that I can always have you in there. Jesus name, Amen

And that was it! We celebrated and called some family and she was so excited! I tried to stifle my excitement a little because I didn't want to be the reason she thought it was a good thing! Although of course we did some jumping and hugging and picture taking....so much for stifling! 

I am so bummed John wasn't here.  He is at a dinner with customers at the store, so I am anxiously awaiting his arrival so she can tell him, but I had to write it all down right now before I forgot all the details!

This has been such a neat process of her learning about him and loving him from a young age.  About a month ago we read through the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe and I could tell she was locking those truths away in her heart. Each night we would talk about how Aslan was like Jesus and how Edmund didn't want Aslan in his heart and how Lucy loved Aslan. And how he died and came back to save them.  She had said one night after the chapter where aslan dies and returns, she had said that it was just like Jesus and she knew it was true and she believed that Jesus did save us! But I didn't push the whole asking thing because I didn't want it to be driven by me and not her, plus I knew it didn't have to be this glorious moment. Then I had been chatting with my dear friend Ashley about this very thing a 2 days ago and prayed about it and let it go and then here we are two nights later she tells me she wants to ask him into her heart! 

Go God! Thank you for coming to die for us! And For coming to save my sweet Reese McNeil.