Who knew painting your little girls nails could lead to such an important conversation?

I painted Bug's nails tonight. This isn't something I do often but with tomorrow being Easter I thought I would give her a special treat. I drives me crazy to see chipped toe nail polish so I don't paint hers often because I would need to constantly redo it. Me on the other hand, my nails are pretty much always painted. And painted some shade of red, a fact that would drive my great grandmother crazy if she only knew. Anyway, in preparation for my monologue I took my polish off the other day. I wanted my feet to be in character :) Tonight as I was painting Kati's she noticed that I still hadn't painted mine, so she asked which color I would choose. I explained that I really didn't think Mary Magdalene wore hot pink polish like she had on so I wouldn't be wearing any. Kati said she thought Mary did wear polish. I again said I didn't. She of course said Mary did wear polish, I guess a life without polish just seems wrong to her too, so I said I would just ask Mary when I got to heaven. The look that came on her face......She told me I couldn't do that so I asked her why not. She said because Mary was pretend.

"Because she is pretend"

"pretend"

Did anyone else's heart just ache? My very first thought was......well could you guess? Maybe it was your very first thought as well. Does she believe Jesus is pretend too?

Jeff being the level headed person began to ask her questions as I just sat there stupefied wondering how I was to convince my child that my Saviour is real and not just some story.

"What about Jonah and the big fish?"
"Pretend"
"What about Noah?"
"Pretend"
"What about Jesus"
And with a face of 'Oh Dad, you're so silly' she said he was real.
~Big sigh of relief from me~

Jeff then told her that all the other people were real too, Jonah really did get swallowed by a big fish. Her little face lit up with excitement. We then had a discussion about scripture being God breathed and if it was in the Bible then it was true.

This just reconfirmed to me what God spoke to my heart last night. My mission field is my home. My babies. The Lord has entrusted these little ones to me and it is my job, my responsibility to teach them the ways of the Lord, the Bible, to be pleasing to God and so on and so forth. It is not a small mission field but a uniquely large one. Three sets of little eyes are on my every move, my every word, and my every action all day long. How can I yell about this or that and then try to convey Christs love and them truly understand. Don't get me wrong I know I will never be perfect but am I not to strive for it anyway.

I have no nice neat way to tie this all up so I will just share some words with you that Kati spoke to me the other day....

"Mommy? Why don't you read us the Bible anymore?"

If those words don't sting your heart then I don't know what will.

Have you read the Bible to your kids (your mission field) today?