"Drew is on fire......and he's not even Lutheran!"

Over the Christmas break, Drew attended a local Lutheran church with his friend Bryan. During Sunday School, the children were quizzed with Bible questions and rewarded with candy for correct answers. I am not quite sure how similar Lutheran and Methodist theology are, but they must be close enough. Drew returned home to proudly share that his correct answers scored five....count them FIVE.... pieces of Christmas candy! According to Drew, the leader proclaimed to the group of children, "Drew is on fire, and he's not even Lutheran!"

Drew is on fire, and I see it in him all the time. Like when he thoughtfully and painstakingly leads his church basketball team through the recitation of The Lord's Prayer before each game. Or when he announced at Audrey's recent pet funeral that he knew he would see her again one day in Heaven.

One of the true bright spots in our rather introspective Christmas of 2012 came in the form of a letter to me from Drew's ELA teacher. In her letter, the teacher wrote that her students had been asked to complete an essay as part of benchmark testing. The writing prompt was "Who is Your Hero and Why?"

As you would expect of twelve year olds, students wrote of personal heroes that included sports stars (in this Gamecock hotbed that I call home, I am quite sure there were odes to Jadeveon Clowney, Marcus Lattimore, and/or Steve Spurrier). Other students wrote of stars from the world of entertainment they considered heroes. I certainly hope she didn't get any 'Honey Boo Boo,' but who knows? Some children wrote of one or the other or both parents. Drew's Hero.....God. His teacher knew I would want to read and treasure this work from the pen of my sixth grade son. In five paragraphs of a child's grasp of his faith that gave his mother goosebumps, Drew explained his choice. Drew wrote, "God is an amazing person because He makes miracles happen." My son continued, "When you need someone because you are sad, just pray. God will answer, although it might not seem like it." So true, My Child, and an aspect of faith many adults struggle to understand.

Drew wrote, "God is my best friend. He watches over me. He keeps me, my family, and my friends safe from harm. I have never even broken a bone." Doesn't that just about say it all for a twelve year old boy? Especially one who recently wrote in another assignment that his biggest obstacle in life was "huge football players." There seems to be a pattern of broken bones and the fear of such imagery emerging here. More importantly, there is an image of a boy coming to terms with his faith. I couldn't be more proud.

What are the phrases......"from the mouths of babes........and a little child shall lead them......

This week as the children of Sandy Hook returned to school, a different school but school nonetheless, I was struck by a news photo....a young Sandy Hook survivor, looking out the school bus window, flashing peace signs and a grin. You couldn't see a parent or loved one in the picture, but I envisioned a worried mom waving a concerned good-bye to her little boy who saw far more and experienced far greater evil than one so young ever should. And yet, there he was, grinning out the bus window, waving those peace signs. Drew is right. God makes miracles happen.

God Bless our children and those of us entrusted to love and protect, to guide and to teach, to lead them in the way He would have them go. And, Dear Lord, thank you for my children, for this one on fire for You.....even if he isn't Lutheran!