is it still January?

I share this story for 2 reasons.... #1 to have record of it, and #2 to encourage us as parents that God is constantly working in our kids, whether we always see it or not.

As we were getting ready to leave my parents house this afternoon, Zoey reminded me that Grandma Neva told her she could have a sucker after she ate her lunch. I grabbed the sucker bowl and let her pick one out. I held it out to Isaac next and told him to pick one. 

"No thank you, mom"

"Would you rather have a couple of these M&Ms, buddy?"

"No thank you"

What? I honestly can't think of a single time that Isaac turned down anything sweet, especially if it's chocolate! What in the world is going on? I told him to just put a couple in his pocket for later, and after he looked at me funny, he finally agreed. When we got in the car I asked him why he didn't want any candy. It's not that I minded, I hate when they eat candy, but I was so baffled!

"Is it still January?"

"Yes, it will be for awhile... but why didn't you want candy?"

"I told Jesus I was fasting candy for January."

I couldn't believe it. I had talked to him about fasting at the beginning of the month and it didn't go as well as I had imagined. I didn't want to force the issue because I didn't want him growing up despising it because he was forced to do it when he was young. That Wednesday they talked about it in his class and he was so excited to fast candy for Jesus. I thought he had forgotten because he didn't bring it up again. (we don't have candy in the house on a regular basis). I was so blown away and so humbled that my little man was so adamant about finishing what He promised the Lord (he gets that tenacity from his daddy).

All this to say that kids are never too young to take the things of the Lord seriously... and they are never too young to challenge their parents to do the same!