Faith of a child

After church yesterday Kevin said, “mom sign me onto the computer”. I suppose I didn’t like the words he used, or more accurately the polite words he forgot to use, so I told him as soon as he emptied the trash, recycling and did the dishes in the sink I would do as I was told. He put up a little stink. I reminded him I am MAMA, and when it’s in all caps, well, that’s where the arguing ends. (even my biggest boys know that because a very big daddy stands behind this little mama)

I signed him on and asked what was so urgent. “I have to write my testimony for our life groups tonight because we are all going to share.” I was eager to get my hands on that document so I left him to his little cave of words where he’s happiest of all.

That evening when he returned home he found me watching Pretty Woman in the art room. (It was on and I’m a solid romantic. It’s exciting so see a woman have her dreams come true and it’s pure make believe to see her actually think she changed a man’s ways-impossible- but fun nonetheless because I get a kick out of the obscene shopping scene.) He held a paper and said, “Uh, Mom, I need to read this to you, that’s what I was told to do.” Great! Sit down share it with us. (Craig came into the presence of a chick flick to hear Kevin’s story)

Jesus said have faith like a child. So in Kevin’s own words this is perhaps a flavor of what that may be like…

My Testimony ~ by, Kevin LaTorre    April 25,   (12 years old)…permission granted to share this with you… the world!

When we are Christians in the modern day society, we have to make choices. Some choices will distance us from others, while other choices will give us new friends and bring us closer to God. We are constantly taught what to do with these different choices.  This testimony is about the ultimate choice I had to make. The one that has changed my life ever since.  It was the choice to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  Back when my family and I lived in Arizona, we would attend a special class every Sunday night. The bible class was taught by a certain pastor named John Politan, who my family now adores.  My family of three brothers, a mother and a father were regulars at church and so  I grew up around the teachings of Christ.  All of us are Christians now.   Anyway, this class was starting to catch my attention. I started to ask my family questions. Why did Jesus die? How could he really bear all the sins of the world? And one night, at the class, I realized what the message was. I was a sinner and I needed a Savior in my life.  John called it a night, and as my family started to pack up, I told my dad what I was about to do.  We’d already discussed it and I told him, “Dad I’ll meet you outside I have something to do first.”  He caught what I was trying to do and gave a nod of encouragement.  I awkwardly approached John, dodging people that were streaming out of the room.  As the pastor shook the last person’s hand he turned and saw me.  “And what can I do for you young man?”  I gulped. “Can you help me accept Christ?”  He wasted no time, taking me to one of the chairs and crouching down, his hand on my shoulder. He gently explained what it meant to be a Christian, using words that I could easily understand.  I told him how I already knew that I had to pray and ask Jesus into my heart and accept God as my Lord.  I closed my eyes and prayed out loud, with tears forming in my eyes.  After it was over,  we stood and John hugged me, calling me his “brother in Christ”.  Ever since that choice, my life has changed dramatically.  I feel more at peace, knowing that I’m not in control of my life, that the Lord Almighty is.  Also, I don’t fear death as much as I did. This is because when I die, I will be transported to a better place called Heaven.  And because God is in control of my life, He is helping me with all of my struggles. He led me through Life Groups and helped me to meet new friends.  And now I will set my sights on leading others to Christ.  A reason I encourage others to accept Christ is for them to know the God of the world loves them. That is one of the best things to know.

Yes, it’s a tear jerker for a mom to hear her son put words to his faith. I remember that night vividly. John Politan had given his own testimony of  how he was a man of 27 and realized he was a sinner  guilty of pride; he had a lot of head knowledge about God but no heart knowledge of Him. It struck a chord with Kevin deep in his heart. He related exactly to the same thing that convicted John all those years ago.  What I will never forget is the way God will use our own testimony for his  glory. When we tell our story of the journey to our knees before Jesus and the saving grace offered to transform us we have no idea what God has pre-arranged. Simply, it  is our truth, and we  just share how it happened. My twelve year old is bold enough to stand on his truth and share it. That’s faith like a child, because he knows he could lose everything but never the love and saving grace of God. I am just flabbergasted to see a pre-teen with such confidence.

 

He is not only an astute bible student, but also an aspiring tennis star.

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