3 minute read
When You Least Expect It
from August 2021
by Nikki Hill
Flabbergasted! I am dumbfounded by the beauty and the work of God’s work of the human mind, namely, how a child’s mind can comprehend and understand over time. When I was pregnant with my first son (and still to this day), I prayed over him that he would become a child of God. I knew as a mother and a follower of Christ, I needed to raise my son in Christ—I knew this is what is best for his life. Over and over in my mind and in my prayers before he came into the world, I wondered how I was going to teach my son about God and what tools I would use. How would I explain God and His word to him in a way that he will comprehend and understand?
Advertisement
My husband and I would talk to our son, showing and explaining his surroundings— whether we were at the store, the park, or wherever—in hopes he would learn eventually. We would often tell him that our Creator made things exactly the way they are, like the birds, trees, flowers, etc. We still point out and explain many things to him, for he has a ton of questions about a lot of what he sees and hears.
I learned to leave my worries concerning how I would teach my son more about God at God’s feet. I remember hearing a voice constantly reminding me, “Just do the best you can with what you got and I’ll take care of the rest.” In obedience and faith, I did. I had a voice to pray and sing. I sung and played music to my son from the day I learned that babies can hear sounds in the womb. We did not have much at the time, but we were blessed with Bible story books from family members. We would also go to thrift stores to purchase more books and would read them to him. We now have more material we can use to teach him more about our wonderful Lord and Savior.
This year during Easter, my son took notice of my mother-in-law’s cross necklace. She asked him what it was and as clear as day, he answered, “Jesus died on the cross.” We all were flabbergasted. Before this, my son would mention Jesus and God and tell us where He lives by pointing up to the sky or ceiling. He had a small children’s Bible book that was his favorite go-to out of all the books he had. I had to put it away and buy new ones because it started to fall apart. Yesterday (a few weeks before this article is published), he told my husband, “I want Jesus Bible,” meaning he wanted to learn more about Jesus from
his Bible story activity book. This is his second time—with a different material—where he actively asked on his own to learn more about God. His favorite bath time song is, “This Little Light of Mine.”
As I look back over time to now, I am reminded of these verses: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6) and “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Indeed, plant the seed and God will make it grow.
About The Author Nikki Hill hopes to use all that she has learned and her spiritual gifts for the kingdom of God, all while becoming a better wife, mother, and neighbor as God calls her.
