Gabe has always had a very tender heart that often breaks from day to day. One might say he has a temper or other negative things. But what you may or may not know, my son is very repentant. He grieves in the times when he messes things up. You cannot confront him on a wrong without his heart being touched. Immediately tears will come to his eyes. He wants God to be proud of him.
In the past 5 months, Gabe has made it through the entire Bible. I can't say that he has understood every word that he read, but the task has been accomplished and I'm certain he has grown from the experience. On a normal day I will read my own Bible in the hour after school has been let out. This is the time Gabe has dedicated to I Read 20 for his school homework. There have been many days were we have sat on the couches together reading through our Bibles. Sometimes Gabe will share his insightful wisdom he has gleaned. I am often blown away from the things God speaks to him and the many areas that Gabe has applied the verses to his life.
A couple kids in his class are fighting, and he quotes, "Don't hit back; discover the beauty in everyone. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. 'I'll do the judging,' says God. 'I'll take care of it.'" (Romans 12:17-19)
When he's had a hard day that might have brought me to tears, he tells me what good thing he is focusing on instead.
God is making a difference in my son.
Every day Gabriel prays for a boy at his school who doesn't believe in God. It pains him to hear that someone could not love God. This boy has been cruel to Gabe in many different ways, but every day Gabe still will say a heartfelt prayer for this boy to believe.
A few months ago I went to school with Gabriel. He was with a team of kids and had to answer a few questions. The first question was, "what are your three favorite things?" Before Gabe said a word, another kid on the team blurted out, "We know, Gabe. God. Jesus. And the Bible."
Gabe has a reputation of being passionate about his love for God. He tries to do whatever God tells him, no matter what other people think around him.
Gabriel never desires for anyone to feel left out. When it was his birthday at school, the teacher told him he could ask another student to help pass out cookies. Gabe refrained from doing this. He didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings when they did not get chosen.
I have been very proud of my son. He has made numerous mistakes and lost his temper thousands of times. But each time he is sorry. He knows that without God he is nothing.
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| I had 30 minutes to throw together Gabe's birthday cake! Right now he says a yellow crayon represents him. |
When it comes to God, he is like a sponge. He soaks in everything he hears. When I teach his class at church, I am certain no one is listening or getting the message. Then a week later, Gabe will quote something I've said in class. He often can grasp the deeper meaning of a situation, not just the surface words that are spoken.
For Gabriel's birthday this year we chose gifts that represented who he is. We thought since he enjoyed his Bible so much, we would get him The Brick Bible. (This is a Lego Bible fully illustrated in a graphic novel form.) If you have a young child and you want to get them excited about reading their Bible, this is an excellent place to start! It has over 400 stories between the Old and New Testament Brick Bibles. The books are a little bit of an investment, but well worth it. You might even want to read through it for yourself. If you click on the picture below, it links to the Brick Testament website. They have all the stories online that you can look through. Me and my husband spent a good amount of time reading together before we bought these books for our son. You will be hooked!
Gabriel wanted a very simple birthday party this year. Right now his other passion besides God is FOOD! He is a growing young man and probably eats his weight in food. Just Kidding. Although it sometimes seems that way. Gabe invited his best friend for a sleepover and out to dinner with us at his favorite restaurant, Kiku Steakhouse of Japan. All meals are prepared before your eyes on the hibachi grill. This makes it not only a great place to eat, but you get some live entertainment.
After dinner, we all went out to a late night movie, Wreck-It Ralph. This was a perfect choice for Gabe since the movie centers around video games in an arcade. What little boy wouldn't enjoy a movie like that? It was very sweet.
The main character, Ralph, is the villain in his own arcade game. He is tired of being the bag guy and leaves to become a hero elsewhere. This leaves the arcade game in big trouble. After 30 years of being "wreck-it Ralph" the game is in danger of being turned off permanently if Ralph doesn't return soon.
To complete his birthday party Gabriel wanted us all to go out to Steak and Shake for all you can eat pancakes. We thought that seemed a bit much on the food side, so we talked Gabe into some pancakes and bacon at home. It was a perfect birthday for Gabriel. He loved it!
Gabe was so excited to get $20 cash for his birthday this year. He was saving up to buy himself a turkey he could cook and eat all by himself! (Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday)
"I’ve searched the land and found this David, son of Jesse. He’s a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him." Acts 13:22
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