Saturday, June 23, 2012

If the glove fits...

When our daughter was growing up, there were no mega christian book stores. We had one tiny little christian book store in north Dallas... 'Virginia's'. It was always a treat to go in and browse around.

Carole would save her allowance of nickels and dimes, and she would look through that little store carefully, to pick out the best items that she would later use to 'play Sunday School' with her 2 brothers. One of them was Campus Crusade's 4 spiritual laws glove.

She was serious about teaching them.

They weren't always on board.

I remember one day when she hollered at them for not paying attention in her 'class', after all... she had sacrificed a lot to make this special for them.

Brothers don't always get that.

But even now, all of these years later, those same brothers are also teaching their little ones, and they have never doubted the heart of their sister.

I see my daughter now with her 3 girls, doing the same thing. If those girls have one devotional, they probably have 10. She is teaching them, as she tried to teach her brothers. I think it was probably good training for her to start with her own brothers.






"Pay attention: I'm teaching you the rules and regulations that God commanded me, so that you may live by them in the land you are entering to take up ownership. Keep them. Practice them. You'll become wise and understanding." (Deut.4:5,6)

12 comments:

myletterstoemily said...

i was going to say that you have raised
such amazing kids, but then i saw the
photo and was stupefied. SUCH beauty!

beauty does that to me . . .

Vee said...

Brothers are such a tough crowd! I'm sure that it's been easier with her daughters...what a beautiful family!

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Oh my daughter gets harassed by all her brothers...all five of them, so what has she done, she has found herself a "fired up for Christ marine" and he is standing by her side!

This is just a precious post and such an encouragement..yes, beautiful, inside and out!

Maryann said...

Brothers can be challenging but it sounds like she was persistent and how neat is it to watch her to carry on with her own children...love it

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

SUCH PERFECT WORDS to go with my current thought of REJOICE. For there is NO OTHER way to raise a child, to GROW UP GROW OLD, to live....

What a darling little girl you had. Once in a while I would teach my DOLLS a few lessons on reading! But your girl had brothers! Oooooo....challenging!

May Jesus richly bless you dear Sonja and yes, I have a poetic streak in me, but I see the realities and I just can't help but think METAPHORS!!!

LOVE, Anita

Kathleen said...

I can just picture it. I have a daughter & two sons myself, and she was forever mothering them (often with screeches & much drama).

Isn't it amazing what the Lord uses to sink godly roots? I loved this story.

P.S. The picture is fabulous. Beautiful girls; and I sure see the resemblance to you!

Debbie said...

Well, she very clearly inherited not only your heart for the LORD and the longing to teach Him forward, but she also has your beautiful smile! I'll bet you hear that all the time, but I'm saying it anyway.

And those are three beautiful girls, too!

Melanie Dorsey said...

I could picture this sweet remembrance.
Your daughter and her girls are lovely.

Debbie Petras said...

Your Carole has your same sweet smile! I can identify with her. I used to sit my little sister along with all my dolls in the window seat of my bedroom. There I would teach them about Jesus. Dolls don't struggle to sit but my sister did at times.

I love your stories Sonja. Keep them coming.

Love you,
Debbie

Rattus Scribus said...

Dear Sonja,
I led Sunday School at a church about an hour from where we live. There I met a 90 year old retired surgeon who was the sweetest Christian you'd ever want to meet. The way he spoke, what he spoke about, his body language and more revealed that his wonderful character was formed way back in his childhood upbringing within a loving Christian family and church community. So reading your post here is a great reminder of how important an upbringing of love and faith is.

Thank you so much for your comments and encouragement on my blog. I have been very behind in blogging and hope to get back into it soon.

In Christ,
Ruben

Felisol said...

I love Sunday schools wherever they are held.
I guess your daughter had her inspiration from somewhere close to her heart..

In our home there's always been a lot of praying. You may remember, Norwegians even pray before and after meals.
We even used to do that in school when I grew up, but that has been stopped.
I am not very clever going to church nowadays, not unless there's a special occasion. When my daughter grew up I went with her, to Sunday school, to choir practice, to parents meetings, to scout's parents meetings e.t.c.
I knew I had to teach and live the word.
That was the gift my parents had given me.
I feel rich now, when I think about all the things I have been given to give further.
I am truly blessed. I

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

Poor Amelia... she's probably getting more than she wants as it pertains to Bible lessons, especially given the fact that she's my only student in SS. She did tell me recently that she was going to stay in my SS class forever. I guess that's a good indicator of her willingness to learn.

May it always be this way for each of my children.

peace~elaine