Jesus Loves Me

We went out to eat yesterday after a very hectic Sunday morning at church. Nathan just wasn't in the whispering mood and had to be removed from church twice to be reminded of what it means to whisper. On top of it, Brian was leading singing, which leads to all sorts of conversations about what Daddy is doing, why is he up there, etc.

So, at lunch the dramatic Nathan continues to push the envelope with his ol' mommy dearest. Technically David started it, but the lunch ended with Nathan singing "God is bigger than the boogie man" from one of the VeggieTales over and over and over in his not so quiet voice. While what he is singing is a good thing, as a parent, you must intervene without squelching his growing spirit, right?

Well, this event reminds me of a trip that the boys and I took to Target in Little Rock. Target is a great place in my boys' minds. We don't have one in Searcy and have to drive almost an hour to get to one, so the time at Target is a coveted commodity (mainly by me). So, sometimes the boys will get a special treat at Target... the $1 drink and popcorn combo. I get an extra sack, pour half of the popcorn into the empty bag so each boy has his own bag, and the Target experience is much more enjoyable.

We are toodling along in Target, and the boys are living the high life with their popcorn. Nathan is sooo happy, he decided to break into song. He starts singing "Jesus loves me." I smile and praise him for his singing and song choice, so of course, he does it again... just a little louder. We are on the row with the cards and stationary and people on our row look and smile. Then he sings it again, even louder. People walking to the registers begin to look down our aisle for the singer. We get some smiles and some dirty looks. I am in that spot I mentioned earlier. Singing Jesus loves me is not a bad thing, but parents aren't supposed to let their kids make scenes in stores...you know, that "kids should be seen not heard" mentality. (By the way, my kids missed that lesson!) So, I praise Nathan for his beautiful singing and tell him to keep singing but maybe just to sing a little quieter. Well, that was it for Nathan; he began singing Jesus Loves Me in the loudest voice possible. I am rather embarrassed, but don't really want to stop him. It was a very awkward moment for me.

Then this lady comes and says, "I just had to come find the little boy singing about how Jesus loves him. I was over in the ladies clothes and heard him and just had to come see him and to thank you for letting him keep singing it." Any embarrassment that I had flew out the door right then. Nathan kept on singing and I kept on shopping with a big smile on my face. Thank you lady, wherever you are! Thanks for reminding me what my purpose is with my kids. Sometimes I get caught up in the little things that I forget that everything I do and say to my kids is teaching them something. (And just for the record, the lady's clothing section is over half of the store away from where we were! lol!)

In a funny little sidenote, I was telling a friend from church about it later that week. She kept looking at me like I was nuts. When I was done, she just said, "That is so strange... and this was Nathan doing the singing?" I told her yes and she started laughing. She had been listening to the Christian radio station and a woman called in and told about a child singing Jesus loves me at the top of his lungs and that she was so proud that the mom didn't make him stop that she had to find them and tell her. Thanks again lady! You were one of the reasons I let him keep singing. And Nathan, thanks for reminding your mom of the big picture!