The best I can do

     Anna snapped this picture of our boys this Saturday morning as we were getting ready to walk into Grant's Farm. We had an awesome morning, the weather was beautiful and the boys really enjoyed the morning out seeing all the animals and taking the train ride through the park.
     Sunday morning we woke up and headed to church. As we were driving Leyton got on the topic of Jesus. He likes to let us know that, "I love Jesus very much" or one of my favorites "Jesus lives inside my heart daddy, and he lives in Ryder's heart too." Now I know Leyton doesn't fully understand the concept of what he said there and I pray that one day, soon, when he's a little older and has a better understanding of Jesus living inside his heart he chooses to make that decision. Ryder is just over a year and a half old but is speaking pretty well for a child his age. He's just started putting simple sentences together and will say things like, "I love you daddy" or if we're on the way to church and he hears Leyton talking about Jesus he'll say, "I love Jesus!" Back to this Sunday. Leyton was telling us that he loves Jesus and that he loves to give him hugs and kisses. Then he asked me if Jesus would love to give him hugs and kisses and I said "oh yes he would love that." Without missing a beat Leyton tells us, "I can't wait to live with Jesus someday." Then he told Anna and I that Jesus tucks him into his bed every night. The most important thing that Anna and I believe we can teach our boys is that they have a God who loves them very much and that God has a son named Jesus and he loves them like crazy too. We pray before our meals, we pray before bed every night (most of the time Leyton leads our prayers) and from time to time Leyton will just come up to me and say "pray for Leyton." Anna and I want them to know that God and Jesus are real and that we are really talking to them when we pray and they hear us. Anna and I have always done this with Leyton when it was just him and now with both of them since Ryder came along.
     I spent a lot of my life doing the wrong things, making bad decisions and hurting people along the way. I'm sure I influenced people in a bad way when I was living like this and I wish I could take those times and actions back. But I can't. What I can do is lead by example now. I can live my life in a way that would influence people in a more positive way to make good decisions. I spent so much time doing wrong that sometimes it's hard for me to believe that I could influence someone to do right. So as I was sitting in the front seat of the car this Sunday it hit me that I had done something right I was seeing the fruit of that in both of my son's lives. Now let me quickly interject that this has nothing to do with me, it's not about me and this is not me taking the credit for "the good I've done." This is me taking the opportunity to thank God for changing me and through my change letting my sons know him at an early age.
     As they grow I pray that their relationship with God grows and that loving Jesus is something they never walk away from. I pray that I always be a good example for them to follow after and that they be world changers for the Kingdom of God someday.