When a student becomes the teacher. . .

Sunday after church Bryndyn had a meeting. Caelleb and I went grocery shopping and came back to get Bryn but his meeting wasn't over yet. Caelleb was goofing around in the foyer of our church with some other little kids. I noticed that all the lights were off in the auditorium. It was a dreary, sunless day outside so there wasn't much light coming in through the stained glass windows. I knew Caelleb had never been in the auditorium when it was that dark & empty so I opened the door and we went inside. He thought it was pretty cool. The time we spent in that empty auditorium was priceless. Here's a bit of our conversation & impromptu guided prayer session.



Me: "it sure is peaceful in here isn't it?"

Caelleb: "yes it are" (I have no idea if he knows what peaceful means, but whatever)

Me: "it sure is a lot easier to talk to God when it is this peaceful"

Caelleb (after thinking for a second): "I want to pray."

(I was sitting on a chair in the very back of the auditorium. Caelleb came over and sat on my lap)

Caelleb: "I don't know what to say" (he is usually not at a loss for words when it comes to praying)

Me: "You can talk to God about anything. Just tell him what's in your heart."

Caelleb: "Ummmmm. I don't know."

Me (realizing that he truly wants to talk to God but is just at a loss for what to say, figured I'd help him out a little): "Well, let's see. Do you want to talk to God about. . . ummm. . . Tia?"

Caelleb: "Oh. Yea. God, I miss Tia."

Me (after a silence): "What about Vanessa?"

Caelleb: "God, I miss Nessa too. And Jamie. I want more brothers and sisters."

Me: "What about school? Do you want to tell God about school?"

Caelleb: "God, school hard. Please help me at school."

Me: "Are you thankful for anything? You could tell God what you are thankful for?"

Caelleb: "OH! Ummm, God, thank you my t-ball team & my bike. And thank you giving me my scooter."

Me: "anything else?"

Caelleb: "You want tell God anything? He hears us."

Me: "hmmm. Yes. I'd like to tell God how thankful I am for my family."

Caelleb: "God, my mommy want me tell you she thankful for her family."

(He then looks at me waiting for more of what I want to say to God)

Me: "I'd also like to tell God that sometimes I just feel so overwhelmed."

Caelleb: "God, my mommy feel oh-er-elm sometimes"

(at this point i'm welling up with tears)

Me: "I'm sooo thankful for your daddy"

Caelleb: "God, my mommy say she thankful for daddy"

Me: "I'm also VERY thankful that God brought you into my life"

Caelleb (hesitating, and then looking down at the ground like he was embarrassed): "I can't say that."

Me: "Why?"

Caelleb: "Ummmm. OK. God, my mommy say she thankful you brought me in her life"



At that point our prayer session was interrupted by another 6 year old wanting to play in the auditorium. Caelleb got off my lap and they started playing together. In total we were probably in that auditorium for about 5 minutes before the interruption. But those short minutes were full of impact. We often tell Caelleb that he was named after the Caleb in the Bible, the one who trusted God when no one else did. He lived up to his namesake in that empty auditorium. My six year old son, who has endured so much loss in his young life, who is developmentally behind his peers and therefore struggles in school, who has a very significant speech delay which makes him hard for an unfamiliar listener to understand. . . He trusts God. Childlike faith is so refreshing. I hope he never loses it. Maybe through his, I can find mine.