My Sweet Avery

Several wonderful ladies at our church either blogged about or spoke about Resurrection Eggs they sell at Lifeway around Easter time. (They may have them all year round). I bought them about a week or so before Easter. The boys were very interested in them. If you don't have them or haven't heard of them, its a carton of a dozen eggs, each one containing something signifying a part of the Easter story.
The boys and I sat down and they took turns opening the eggs and we talked about each thing and read the little book that accompanies the eggs. I was so amazed at how much Aidan my three year old took in and how much he remembered. I was even more amazed at Avery's reaction. He's heard the Easter story many times. He knows that Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead. In one egg there is a piece of leather and we talked about how Jesus was whipped by the soldiers. In another are the nails and we talked about how they were driven through his hands and feet. Yet another holds the spear. By the time we had gone through these things, Avery was close to tears. Bless his heart he is so much like me in some ways. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "Momma, the whipping must have really hurt Jesus." I said I was sure that it had and that Jesus didn't have to go through that(through any of it) but he did it for us.
Avery has been talking a lot about what it means to have Jesus in your heart. Several times we've asked him if he would like to talk with our Children's pastor Mr Jason.
I know its the culmination of the wonderful ministers at our church, the awesome men and women who volunteer their time to teach the children's sunday school classes, our friends, and hopefully Jim and I have been an example too. I know the Lord is working on little Avery's heart and I know Avery can feel it. I wrote in one of my first posts on this blog the things I learned from my mother's death. One of them is that God uses our most painful moments to teach us. I think Avery learned a lot during the time my mom was in our home and in her death. That whole experience brought about a new awareness for Avery. We talk a lot about Heaven and how the Lord promises we will see those in Christ again. Not only has it brought about the awareness of death and what that means when you have salvation but I think he also learned that he can talk to God about anything through prayer.
We have sat down with those Resurrection Eggs over and over and over again. I kept them out and the boys continue to ask to go through them. They get so excited when they get to number 12 - they can hardly wait to open it up and show that it is empty because Jesus was not there. I love seeing their excitement. I know little Avery is on his way and I just pray that the Lord will guide me in guiding him. Its the most important decision he'll ever make. I can just feel my heart in my chest as I'm thinking about it.