Going Public

Today I had the privilege of watching my 4 year old daughter boldly proclaim her faith in front of 500+ people. If you've been following my blog, you know that almost a full year ago Elizabeth prayed to receive Christ. However, because of my shallow faith, because of my lack of understanding, because I couldn't see her faith with my own eyes, I didn't believe her. Today, she was bold, today I could see, today I witnessed true believing.

Since Elizabeth had spoken with Bailey, we knew that she truly understood what it means to have Christ within you. Therefore, we asked her if she was ready to take the next step. We asked her if she was ready to proclaim her faith openly. The service we attend is the largest service time at our church. On a crowded Sunday, there could be as many as 700 people in the Multi-purpose Building (I'm really guessing. It could be 500 or so, I stink at guessing numbers).

During the time of invitation, Elizabeth did not waiver. She courageously walked in front of all of those adults and talked with "Pister" Michael about her decision. Along with 3 other people, she was presented to the church and after service was greeted by all of our friends and church family. It was an awesome thing to watch and I fought tears most of the afternoon. Just as Luke said on our way home from church,

"It's so awesome to know that we will get to spend eternity with our daughter."

I couldn't agree more.

Today also sparked a lot of thought. Why is it that Elizabeth needed to proclaim her faith? Why is that needed? What's the point? Is she more saved if she does this? Is it jut for show? I dug into some scripture and here's what I found.

1. Scripture commands us to speak that Christ Jesus is in our heart. The confession of our tounge, the act of willfully saying it, makes it true. Romans 10:9-10 says,

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

See it? Right there is says, that in your heart you believe and with the confession of your mouth you are saved. Yes, she had already confessed it to me, Luke, Bailey and anyone that asked. But going public means more than just telling those you already know, it means telling people that you've never met. It means facing challenging situations and having the courage to speak it, outloud. My baby did just that.

2. I want her to be bold in her faith. As a beliver, I don't claim to know all the answers. Crap, sometimes, I look at opposing arguments, science and other things and wonder why I believe what I believe. Then, I have to dig to find answers. However, the first step is being bold. Knowing what you believe because it's real and alive and living within you. I like how it is explained in Colossians 1:27b-28:

And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.

What an awesome thing to know a secret that gives you assurance. What an awesome thing to know that it isn't really a secret! It's meant to share!

I'm such a proud momma today! I'm proud of my little girl for knowing that Jesus is, in fact, real and alive. For understanding that He lives within her.

I'm humbled that God would allow me to witness such an extraordinary event in my child's life. I'm humbled that God used Luke and I, as minuscule as our role was, to show her His love. Thank you Lord, thank you.