Will I go to Hell?

I walk in EJ and SJ's room to give them their PJ's and hurry them off to bed. SJ is jumping around and not really listening to anything. EJ is on the bed minding her own business when she looks up at me and and says "Mom, you know if I die tonight I will not go to heaven." "Oh honey, you are not going to die tonight." (She had thrown up the night before and probably thought that was close to death. Ha!)

"Mom I really want to be a Christian but no one will tell me how! I asked you, I asked Daddy, I asked the babysitters, I asked my teachers, and no one will tell me how to be a Christian. I want to pray and ask Jesus in my heart because if I die tonight I will go to hell." I run out of the room unsure of what to do and now I want Daddy's help. I don't want to rush EJ into anything and I want her to understand, so what do we do!

Clay sits on the bed and asks all the questions. It is obvious that she doesn't completely understand it all, but understands that if she does die tonight she would not go to heaven. (This whole thing reminds me of a Billy Graham crusade. EJ is responding to the Savior, doesn't know all the answers, but wants to follow. Why would I hold her back? We would never hold back an adult. The hard part is left for us as parents - the discipleship! - once this decision is made.) Clay bows his head and waits - prays - for about 20 seconds. I am thinking what is going to happen - do we lead her all the way, do we put her off, do we tell her she will not die, what do we do.

I have always taught in all my Training Little Ladies classes for parents to look for a deep Sense of Repentance or a deep Sense of Urgency. When it was Tucker's time he could not go to bed until her got a "for real" forgiveness from God, he called it. It was not enough just to apologize to me, he wanted to apologize to God and really have that forgiveness for it all. That is the deep sense of Repentance.

EJ had the deep Sense of Urgency. She realized if she didn't "get" God now in her heart it could be terrible!! She would no longer accept being put off until a better time or until she understands better. She wanted Jesus now!

Clay lifted his head and asked EJ to repeat a prayer after him. We said amen and EJ jumped out of bed and ran into the family room where Papaw and Mamaw were and shouted, "I am a Christian!!!" She told everybody and was so excited!! She slept well that night!!!

I would have thought my Tucker, deep thinker, sensitive, and intense kid would have accepted the Lord under the sense of Urgency, but no. And I would have thought EJ, my tenderhearted, easy going, softhearted, doesn't want to upset or hurt feelings would have been the sense of repentance!! Just the opposite!! Only He knows - but oh how He does!!!

What a way to end 2005. 2 down, 2 to go!!