He was a natural (at least that is what he will tell you everyone says to him).  He picked it up quick, and what was supposed to be a once-a-week thing turned into and three or four days-a-week thing.  He couldn’t get enough of it, but then something started to happen.  He began to miss his free time.  He still loved karate, but he felt like he didn’t have any free time to play or hang out with his friends.  Then, to top it all off, he had some medical issue that have kept him out of karate for the last couple of months.  That’s what sparked our conversation this past weekend.  It went something like this (I’m paraphrasing):

ME: So, do you want to go back to karate?

JACOB: Well, sort of yes sort of no.

ME: What do you mean?

JACOB: Well, I like all the extra time I have, but Karate is kind of what I’m known for.

ME: What do you mean by that? (Yes, it is one of my favorite questions.)

JACOB: Well, it’s something I’m good at, and when people thing of me they think of Karate.  It’s what I’m known for.

ME: Is that what you want?

JACOB: No, I want to be known for Jesus!

There it was, another of what I’ve started to call “Jacob moments.”  The moments where God speaks through my young son with wisdom beyond his years to convict me of things in my own life!

It’s easy to get caught up in the things we are good at and forget who gave us the ability to be good at them.  So, what are you known for?  What do people think of when they think of you?  Is it Jesus?  Why not?

Related posts:

1. Little Mouth…Deep Truth (Children's Ministry Moment #2)
2. What are Your Thanksgiving Traditions? (Children’s Ministry Moment #6)
3. Children's Ministry Moment #1 – Outdoor Guy

“Dad, it’s kind of like this.  It’s like God is standing at the gates of heaven and wants us to come in, but no matter what he does, we keep trying to run the other way, and the only thing in that direction is hell.  But, Jesus keeps running to catch us and get us turned back around towards heaven.”

When I asked him where he had heard that, he told me that he had been reading his Bible and that was just the way it seemed to him that people were.  I was speechless.  in 60 words, he had encapsulated the gospel and the Christian life better than I ever could have.  Which reminds me of another Jacob story from this past fall.  He and I were alone together in the car driving to or from one of our kids’ many activities.  He asked me what I thought he should be when he grew up.  For the last couple of years he has always said that he wanted to be a pastor when he grows up, so I asked him if he still wanted to do that.  He told me probably not.  When I asked why, he explained that he wanted a job where he could “help people and tell them about Jesus.”  My pastor got a kick out of that one.

At church, our response cards have a place for “bragging on God.”  Tonight, that seems like an appropriate think to do.  In the words of the Holy Spirit recorded by Paul, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord!” God is truly awesome, and he has an extraordinary way of working through kids to teach adults about himself.  If I started to list out all the things God has taught me through both the words and actions of my kids, it would take a long time, but this is certainly one instance I will never forget!

Related posts:

1. What Do You Want to Be Known For? (Another Jacob Moment)
2. Little Mouth…Deep Truth (Children's Ministry Moment #2)
3. On the importance of being prepared in Children’s Ministry (Children’s Ministry Moment #8)