We’ve had a really big weekend around here, for several reasons, but one of the biggest was our Big Helper’s decision to join the church.
Our Big Helper’s faith journey is a simple one, but it’s strong.
When she was 18 months old, we were sitting on the kitchen floor, carving a pumpkin and doing the pumpkin parable devotion with it. I was rather mentally rolling my eyes as I read the scripture, wondering how my little tiny tyke was supposed to be getting anything other than “pumpkins have slimy guts” from the exercise and the complicated passage in Revelations I was reading (according to the devotion’s directions), when she said she wanted to be clean, too. I sat there in shock as she said she didn’t want to be dirty like the pumpkin. We prayed together, and she was very excited – as only toddlers can be – and life continued. I recorded the event and we continued life.
A few years later, something similar happened. As a young child, she had continued to participate in our family devotions, to memorize Bible verses at dinnertime, and to pray with us. The topic of salvation had come up again in another devotion, and she again indicated that she wanted to follow Jesus. We asked her questions, including if she remembered her first pumpkin experience (she didn’t) but was quite sincere, and so she prayed, and again life continued.
Our Big Helper was never really not following Jesus, in that she never consciously tried to go against the ways of faith. She has, however, over and over, indicated that she is intentionally choosing to follow Jesus: to love Him, love others, to study His Word, and to serve wherever possible.
For years now, our Big Helper has looked at life through a faith lens. She often questions how life events compare to scripture, or the other way around – what scripture says about what she sees happening around her. She studies her Bible, asks lots of questions, and has been working for years to earn enough money for a mission trip to Haiti with the Hands and Feet Project.
It came as no surprise that she jumped at the chance to be confirmed, or to study to join the church. As United Methodists, this means completing the work begun at baptism and making a public, informed, conscious choice to follow Jesus and to join his earthly Church.
She began classes weeks ago, meeting with our pastor and the other confirmand, studying church history, theology, the creeds, and what it means to be a full church member. They met for a retreat, where they continued their work and did some service projects.
And then yesterday was the big day. My Big Helper was up early, dressed in her new confirmation dress, excitedly twirling to see her skirt flare out and chattering nervously about the ceremony to come. She’s at an age where the child and the adult she’s one day going to be both manifest themselves, sometimes both in minutes, and it’s odd and amazing to see.
Suddenly it was time. It seemed somewhat surreal as family members all trooped up front to stand with her in support of her decision. She answered questions confirming her faith, smiling all the while, standing and kneeling as instructed by our pastor.
Then, as her first act as a full member of Warren’s Grove United Methodist Church, she was (with our other onfirmand) invited to serve communion to the congregation. Her smiles continued as she passed out the bread to each in turn, excited to be serving in a real and tangible way.
When church was over, we headed home. Friends and family joined us to celebrate our Big Helper’s decision, as well as our Little Man’s tenth birthday. We had a fun afternoon with everyone, and we’re very thankful for the support and encouragement they give our children.
For me, it was an emotional day. I’m excited about the decision she’s made, but it’s also a sign that she’s growing up, and that’s always a little bittersweet. I wouldn’t want this decision to be any other way, of course, but her need for discipleship is far from over. I feel the weight of the responsibility to guide her well; to provide answers, examples, and resources to prepare her for full adulthood. While she’s now an adult in the church, she’s also only twelve, and still needs much guidance from people further along in their faith journeys. I pray that she can be surrounded by those people, and by people to whom she can turn with her questions, and by those who will provide strong, faithful examples for her.
Have your children made decisions for faith? What resources have you found to support them along the way?
These are a few of our favorites:
