Jesus and Rapunzel

When Noelle and I sit down for breakfast or lunch on weekdays there is always something that she wants to spend the entire time talking about. Usually I have to remind her to eat because she becomes so distracted by the conversation. Children, especially young children learn from these early times of conversation as to whether or not they are allowed to ask questions, get answers, or just talk with no real purpose at all except being with mom and/or dad. So I have always tried to let my children talk. When Will was this age he wanted to talk about Legos and baseball. When Hannah was little she wanted to talk about animals and people. Both Will and Hannah would talk with me about the Bible and how they loved Jesus.  They would talk for a while then finished their meal and be off to play.

Having Noelle has been somewhat different. She literally talks all day long. Once she has something on her mind there is no distracting her until she has answers or has worn that conversation out.

Yesterday as we were sitting down for lunch she ask me to pray.  I said that I would but before I could start she said, “Mommy, I want you to ask Jesus in your heart again.”  I told her, “Noelle, we don’t have to ask Jesus into our hearts more than one time. When we ask Him to come into our hearts, forgive us of our sins, He doesn’t ever leave us.”  But she again said, “Mommy, I want you to ask Jesus in your heart just one more time.”  I said, “Noelle, really. The Bible says that once we ask Jesus in our hearts nothing can ever separate us from Him. I really don’t need to ask Him to come into my heart again, He’s already there.”  “Mommy, Please, I just want to hear you ask Jesus into your heart.”  

It was then that I figured out what was going on with my sweet girl. About three weeks ago Noelle had ask Jesus into her heart and now she just needed to be sure that when “it was her turn” to go to heaven (as she says) that I was going to be there too.

So, I prayed and thanked Jesus that He had come into my heart, had forgiven my sin, cleaned my heart, and now lives in my heart until the day it is my turn to go to heaven and live there forever with Him. That was apparently what she needed to hear because when I finished praying she smiled and said , “Mom, do you want to play Rapunzel with me?”