Memorial Box Monday: My Brave One

This is Ben now... Our brave boy, riding the San Francisco
cable car, standing rather than sitting.

Hello my bloggy friends,

For those of you who aren't familiar with Memorial Box Monday, it was started a while ago by Linny at her blog. MBM provides an opportunity to remember what God does in our lives. How He answers each and every prayer, whether big or little. I've asked God for some big stuff in the past, such as providing the resources for our adoption and helping me overcome the fears I felt after 9.11. I've asked for the little stuff, too... like patience in the midst of everyday life. With. Kids. Need I say more?!?!?!?

This weekend, though, as I was asking God to remind me of all He has done, He brought a different kind of prayer to mind. He took me back to October 4, 2006. A few years before that, our younger son, Ben, had prayed the believer's prayer, asking Jesus to become his Lord and Savior. But... Ben was terrified of being the center of attention (a concept I will never really understand). He refused, month after month, year after year, to be baptized. "People will see me," was his simple, firm complaint.

Month after month, our church would have baptism services. He'd cry... because he didn't get baptized. We told him when he was good and ready to let people know he loved Jesus, he wouldn't be afraid. We prayed with him and for him, asking God to help him overcome his fear. Twice, he signed up for baptism. Twice he chickened out.

A few times, my husband and I debated whether to let him have a private baptism since he was so scared. Ultimately, we decided against it. We chose instead to pray with him -- again and again. We wanted him to know that loving Jesus is not something to fear.

In September of 2006, he decided he was ready. He asked us to sign him up -- again -- for the October baptisms. He hoped and hoped and hoped that there would only be a few people getting baptized. He hoped we'd have small attendance at church.

The day finally arrived. Our church was PACKED! Standing room only at the back of the worship center. Twenty-three people had stepped forward for baptism. If not the largest baptism service ever at our church, it sure was close to it. Ben lined up somewhere in the middle of the pack. I was certain that by the time he got to the front, he'd chicken out again. There were so many people.

But....

When his turn came, he walked to the baptistry confidently. He climbed the stairs, stepped into the water and sat down on the little bench. The pastor asked him if he had accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He asked Ben if he was ready to follow Jesus all the days of his life. Ben answered confidently that he had and he would. But here's the part that gets me -- every time I think about it.

Ben didn't look at the pastor as he spoke. No. He was so confident and so ready that he looked at the people, hundreds of people, who were there. Not only had God removed his fear, He had filled Ben with confidence.

Most people there that night might not appreciate the significance of Ben's looking one way over another. They don't know how fear had held him back. They didn't know they were witnessing a miracle answer to prayer.

We did.

I am thankful for Ben. I'm grateful that God allows me to be his mom. I'm honored that I get to do battle with my son -- and sometimes for him -- so that he can follow God with confidence. Someday, my "little" boy will be a man, a husband, a father. It's such a blessing to know that he'll do all those things as a follower of Jesus.

If you looked in my Memorial Box, you'd see a polaroid picture of a little boy, looking away from the pastor during his baptism. It's not the usual baptism photo. And that's my Ben, overcoming fear in a big way, with a little help from above!