Spiritual Birthdays

As a follower of Jesus it is always an exciting thing when you hear about someone giving their life to the Lord. As a parent, that is what you pray for your kids...that they will someday realize their need for a Savior and surrender their lives to Him. Chad and I are blessed beyond words that two of our kids have made that decision already in their young lives. 

Mylee was 4 years old and it was a couple weeks after we got home from a summer at Kamp. She had been asking questions about Jesus and asking Him into her heart. On August 21st she went to bed asking those questions and we told her we would talk more in the morning if she wanted. So, first thing in the morning she bounded into our bedroom and hopped up on our bed. She was still interested. We asked her why she thought she needed Jesus, what it meant to accept Him into her life and what He had done for us. I remember being blown away by how much she understood. She got it. She knew she had sinned (along with all mankind) and she wanted forgiveness. She understood Jesus had paid the penalty for her sin and she was ready to take the gift of eternal life. So, snuggled next to Chad and I, she repeated a sweet simple prayer of faith and asked Jesus into her heart. August 22, 2010 is the day Mylee Nicole Hampsch became a part of God's family. It still brings tears to my eyes to think about our Sovereign God calling our little girl to Himself. I am so thankful.

And Mylee was so excited! She called Grammy and Papa and Mimi and Papa to tell them the news. We celebrated with friends and she got a sweet Christmas ornament from Beth (Powell) Gilland with the date she accepted Christ. Several times shortly after her decision as we would tuck her in for the night she would ask, "Did I do a good job living for Jesus today?" What a piercing reminder of what my own mindset needs to be. I am obviously writing this account a couple of years after it happened and I am still so proud of Mylee today. She truly wants to know Jesus more. She is unbelievable at memorization and probably has more Scripture memorized than most adults. She has a such a pure faith in knowing that Jesus is the only way and she is not afraid to share that with others. It is just true. She doesn't understand why someone wouldn't want to know Jesus more and I pray she continues to grow in her desire to tell others about Him as she grows in her own walk.

Isaac's decision to follow Jesus happened just a month ago. He is five now and had also been asking questions for a little while. We had some great conversations about how we are sinners and what Jesus did for us. An especially sweet part of those conversations were when Mylee would jump in with a verse she remembered like Romans 3:23 or John 3:16. But, Isaac kept saying he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart at kamp. I'm not sure why...maybe he associates kamp as a place where a lot of kids make that decision, maybe he wanted to ring the bell, but whatever his reasoning I didn't want to push him. So, the Jesus/salvation conversations were pretty normal. We were having one of these conversations on February 21, 2013 when he all the sudden said, "I want to ask Jesus in my heart right now."I didn't want Chad to miss being there so I suggested we keep talking and wait until Chad got home from work. Well, it was a snowy icy day here in Branson and not two minutes later Chad came through the door. He had come home early to avoid getting stuck on the icy roads. We filled him in and Chad asked a couple more questions. The one that stands out is when Chad asked what Jesus did for us. Isaac responded with, "He died on the cross so we could be free." What a great answer. How simple and yet how profound. How many of us walk in the complete freedom that Christ offers? That is what we have available to us...freedom! So Isaac chose right then in our living room, all of us sitting on the floor, to pray a prayer of faith giving his life to Jesus and accepting His forgiveness. I think my favorite part of the story is what he did after he prayed. He started singing a song that I didn't even know that he knew...

"For God so loved the world 

He gave His only Son,

To die on Calvary's tree

From sin to set me free.

Someday He's coming back 

What Glory that will be

Wonderful His love to me"

And there you have it. The gospel sung with the faith of a child. No room for doubt or questioning; just a belief that Jesus is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. It was definitely a sweet day in the Hampsch house. 

God is so good and so faithful. I prayed for the salvation of our kids, but didn't really expect it so soon. I accepted Christ at a young age as well, but I so often under estimate what a child can grasp. There are no age limits, young or old, on who God chooses to bring to Himself. I pray that Mylee and Isaac would each grow in their desire to live for and serve the Lord. I pray they are sensitive to the Holy Spirit in their lives and would make decisions based on His guidance and what they know is true and right. I praise the Lord for the people they have in their lives as examples of what it looks like to be a godly woman or man. I am humbled by the Lord's favor. I pray expectantly for Ansley to come to a place in her life when she also acknowledges her need for a Savior and that I will once again be able to tell a sweet story of a child coming to faith in Him.