Say "Cheese"

This is a sweet daddy-daughter story.

As Tim was getting into bed last night, he told me "Lucy said 'Jesus' for the first time tonight". WHAT? Why? Well, you see Lucy has become quite the daddy's girl. Her "I (heart) Daddy" jammies say it all. (She even says "heart dada" when she's not even wearing the jammies!) She only wants him for the final tuck in, and any wake ups. She just woke up saying Mama, but within 5 seconds she had switched to Dada, and before anyone could get in there, she was dead set on Dada, and would not accept my morning hugs. At night she wiggles out of his arms to come get me, but it's just a tease because she immediately wants dada again. Get to the story:

Apparently Tim tells her every night, "Dada loves you, Mama loves you, and Jesus loves you". The last few nights after he says "Dada loves you", Lucy will say "mama". So he adds, "yes, Mama loves you, and Jesus loves you too." So last night, after his "dada loves you", she said "mama....cheese". "Yes, Mama loves you, and Jesus loves you too!" She wasn't requesting a late night snack (cheese is more like "gee"), she had absorbed the nightly words of affirmation Tim had been telling her.

I've been thinking a lot this week about how to parent this beautiful child in the ways of faith and spirituality. She came to us fresh from heaven and could teach US a thing or two about God's love. But as she gets older, I believe we'll have to do the reminding, and guiding her back to her Creator. I have been talking with a dear friend of mine who has a daughter close to Lucy's age, about what we can say and do at this age to sow the seed. We want our kids to have a faith that helps them through the fears of life, and then ultimately that they would know Jesus for themselves. It's partly up to God to do His own work in her heart, but as privileged "shepherds" it's our job to guide her and lead her in all ways, not the least of which is faith. So as I've been considering and "discovering" ways to speak truth to Lucy and over Lucy (random times of saying out loud "God sure loves us so much Lucy, let's thank Him for the sunshine today!"), Tim has been the simple, steady voice of truth each night. That's so like him.

Let's remember to say "cheese", to speak the name of Jesus, to affirm the truth that He loves us so much!!