HOLY SCHMOLEY GUACAMOLE!!!..Has it REALLY been over a month?

Yowser!! I knew I hadn't blogged in a while, but I didn't realize it had been so long...eeeek! Anyhoo...things are great with us! We finally finished the kitchen, minus a few detail things, so that has been a relief! We ended up painting our cabinets black which I WAS NOT sure about at first, but I am so happy I listened to my hubby :)






On to Easter...(It's a little long, but worth the read...I think ;) )
We had an amazing Easter! God is so good and gracious and merciful! I have the most precious story about Seth that actually happened the week before Easter:

Since it was Palm Sunday, Micah wanted to do something really different and focused on the Cross. He and the rest of the staff did an INCREDIBLE job pointing us to the Cross on that Sunday morning! Seth happened to be in the service with me for just a little bit, which was strange in itself because he usually still stays in the nursery. Anyway, the mood was very low key, the lights were down, there were 2 projectors flashing images of the cross and Micah led worship solo (without the praise team). At first I was a little concerned the images of the cross might be a little too much for Seth, but he just asked me who/what they were and I tried my best to explain to him about Jesus dying on the cross. We have had lots of conversations about Jesus so there were some reminders and some new insights :) Anyway, after 15 minutes or so, he was ready to go back to the nursery to play with his buddies, so I took him half expecting a question or two about our conversation in "big church," but there weren't any. No big deal. After church, when we were going back into the sanctuary Seth saw the cross in the entry way and here is how the conversation follows....

Seth: Mom, that's the cross!
Me: Yep that's right buddy.
Seth: That's where Jesus died...
Me: (taken back) that's right sweetie
Seth: (a somber look comes over his face) WHAAAAAAAA (this is full blown crying!!!!)
Me: (concerned) Honey...what's the matter??
Seth: (Still wailing) MOMMY!! I didn't want Jesus to die!!! (more wailing)
Me: Seth...it's okay baby! It's okay to be sad, but there's good news!! Jesus is alive today because God made him alive again!!
Seth: (STILL sobbing uncontrollably) I didn't want Jesus to die.....
Me: (grasping for any ounce of wisdom I may have stored up) Seth, baby, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay (is all I managed to squeak out!)
At this point Seth and I are both bawling now and sitting on the ground in the back of the sanctuary and have conglomerated quite an audience.... and I finally got my bearings and went through the gospel as best I could with a sobbing 3 year old in my lap :)

Me: Seth, when we trust Jesus as the ONE who died to take away all the bad things we do, then He lives in us!! Isn't that great!?!
Seth: (crying..yep..still) He doesn't live in me...He lives in YOU!!!! (more wailing)
Me: (wailing..just kiddin, but the tears were definitely flowing...finally decided to leave it at that for now and just love on my sweet burdened little boy)
*sidenote****where was Aiden in all of this?? Running around alerting everyone it was time to go to the Pizza House (Double Daves)....HAHAHAHA...precious little Aidie-Pie :) ******

We both eventually collected ourselves, and Seth ran to the front of the church to tell Micah about Jesus and the cross. While we were in the back, Micah heard Seth crying and thought he was in trouble, so when Seth got to his daddy, he started crying again and said, "Daddy...I didn't want Jesus to die on the cross..." to which Micah replied,"You got in trouble for throwing ROCKS?!?!" HA!! Anyway, Seth said it again and as I was walking up, saw both Seth and daddy crying now! Don't ya know I just lost it all over again!!! Man.....talk about heart wrenching! We had just spent an hour or so of intensely focusing on the Cross...just the Cross...the Sacrifice...the Despair our Savior endured for the namesake of His father....the Place where the entirety of sin was heaved on his body so we could be set free....and then our 3 year old comes in, sees the cross, and is completely devastated at the idea of it all. And when I say devastated, I mean devastated. Seth was so completely broken and sincerely troubled about the death of Jesus and God truly allowed me to see true, raw, emotion through my own son. Whoa buddy! Seth, although we talk about it, hasn't had a lifetime of "hearing" about the Cross year after year, and he certainly hadn't developed any sort of callousness toward it. But, rather, in that moment, he understood death and he understood that a man died for him, and he was instantly consumed by grief. I honestly had to ask myself if I have ever been overcome with grief because Jesus died for me!?!? Had I ever truly considered the Sacrifice before I considered the Resurrection? I can tell ya that I was forced to do some major reflection of my heart and I came to the conclusion that yes, obviously I have considered those things. I don't see how it's possible not to consider them upon salvation. But I think God allowed me a precious gift that Palm Sunday through Seth Jameson...a precious moment with my son as he began to realize the events of the crucifixion...and a precious moment to truthfully consider the LOVE he bestowed on me through HIS OWN SON on the Cross!

Since then, Micah and I have had lots of conversations with sweet Seth about Jesus, his death, and resurrection. He now "knows" that three days after Jesus died, God made Him alive again and that he lives in heaven with God and also in our hearts. Although I definitely don't think he has made the all the connections, I do believe that God is already softening his heart to the gospel (obviously..)! I can't tell you what an honor it is to be used of God in your own child's life. I am thankful, more than ever now, for the blessing of children and my responsibility as a mother to nurture their need for a Savior!!