My friend Bridget calls Evan "the little evangelist"
because last year Evan was always bringing invitations to school inviting her
son Caleb to church. If it wasn't the outdoor movie series, then it was the
Christmas bonfire.
This year Evan has had several encounters with kids at school regarding his belief in God. And while I have a very difficult time believing that my quite, introverted son would be outspoken about anything when he still refuses to speak to our friends at church that we have known since our arrival in Virginia five years ago, his teacher assures me that he is Mr Popularity and the center of attention at school. His "lively and outgoing personality" makes him one of the most well-liked kids in the class. If you are reading this wondering if perhaps my Evan has been confused with another child, then you are thinking much like I did when I received this news several months ago. However, after hearing all of that, it makes the following all a bit more plausible.
At Ramadan, Evan told a small group that Mohammad could not be God because he was a man, a man that couldn't be powerful because he wasn't the Son of God like Jesus. At Christmas time, he approached his Jewish classmate about her belief in the coming Messiah and boldly claimed she had it wrong because Jesus is the Messiah and he has made his arrival on Earth. His teacher threatened to move him to "yellow." Last week, he asked another friend if she believed in God. When she said that she didn't, Evan asked why. She told Evan she wanted to believe in God but because her parents didn't, she couldn't. Evan told the little girl that you can believe in God even if your parents don't. And then he told her to ask Jesus to live in her heart.
In the past year, he has grappled with some very difficult theological questions. And because he is only seven year old, his level of understanding often surprises me.
This morning at church we had our sermon and I leaned in to ask Evan if he understood the lesson. He made a comment that seemed to me like he was really processing some big issues, he was looking intently at the pastor, and then he whispered, "Mom?"
That's when I knew it was all coming together for him. I was on pins and needles ready to hear the new observation he had made while processing this new information. I leaned in closer ready to hear the big revelation he had in store for me.
And he asked, "Mom, when do the NFL games come back on tv?"
So clearly we aren't there yet, but I can't wait to hear the story he tells this week at school about the Book of Life and this week's sermon.
This year Evan has had several encounters with kids at school regarding his belief in God. And while I have a very difficult time believing that my quite, introverted son would be outspoken about anything when he still refuses to speak to our friends at church that we have known since our arrival in Virginia five years ago, his teacher assures me that he is Mr Popularity and the center of attention at school. His "lively and outgoing personality" makes him one of the most well-liked kids in the class. If you are reading this wondering if perhaps my Evan has been confused with another child, then you are thinking much like I did when I received this news several months ago. However, after hearing all of that, it makes the following all a bit more plausible.
At Ramadan, Evan told a small group that Mohammad could not be God because he was a man, a man that couldn't be powerful because he wasn't the Son of God like Jesus. At Christmas time, he approached his Jewish classmate about her belief in the coming Messiah and boldly claimed she had it wrong because Jesus is the Messiah and he has made his arrival on Earth. His teacher threatened to move him to "yellow." Last week, he asked another friend if she believed in God. When she said that she didn't, Evan asked why. She told Evan she wanted to believe in God but because her parents didn't, she couldn't. Evan told the little girl that you can believe in God even if your parents don't. And then he told her to ask Jesus to live in her heart.
In the past year, he has grappled with some very difficult theological questions. And because he is only seven year old, his level of understanding often surprises me.
This morning at church we had our sermon and I leaned in to ask Evan if he understood the lesson. He made a comment that seemed to me like he was really processing some big issues, he was looking intently at the pastor, and then he whispered, "Mom?"
That's when I knew it was all coming together for him. I was on pins and needles ready to hear the new observation he had made while processing this new information. I leaned in closer ready to hear the big revelation he had in store for me.
And he asked, "Mom, when do the NFL games come back on tv?"
So clearly we aren't there yet, but I can't wait to hear the story he tells this week at school about the Book of Life and this week's sermon.
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