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"I think we can all learn a thing or two from KB," my sister Jana.

Tuesday night I went upstairs to get Katie Beth for dinner. I found her seated in the family room with her father deep in conversation. When KB turned around I could tell she had been crying. As Brad looked at me he said, "I think you should ask your mom about this too." And so she did. "Mom, why did Adam and Eve have to sin? What made them want to do things their way instead of God's way. Why didn't God stop them? And now look around at our world, so many people are hurting from sin." Tears ran down her face.

I won't go into my response because I want to focus on her wisdom.

At eight she knows that individual sin impacts generations.

She knows sin is the choice of not yielding our will to God's desire. In short she understands the root of sin is self. AKA selfish, self-reliant, self serving...
Sin, the decision to allow "my will" into the driver's seat instead of "God's will", separates me from God. Sometimes my driving yields evil works, other times good works, but the separation occurs when I choose to plug into myself as the source of life instead of God.

It hurts her heart deeply to think of our world separated from God. She knows what it feels like to be very close to God and she hurts for those who do not have this connection.

I was deeply convicted by Katie Beth's insights. In the quiet of the evening I sat down and had a deep conversation with my daddy. "Father I know my sin impacts the next generation. Please forgive me. And please show mercy by stopping the consequences of my sin here and now. Pull me near Father so I can hear you clearly especially when I am tempted to lean on my own understanding. Forgive me for trying to be my own source of strength. I want you to be the Lord of my WHOLE life. Please transform me into your likeness. Forgive me for being so invested in my own pain that I fail to see those hurting right in front of me. Touch my heart so I hurt deeply for those separated from you."

Tuesday night's teachable moment left me humbled and amazed to be Katie Beth's mom. My friend Sylvia shared Matthew 11:25-26 with me after a conversation she had with Katie Beth two years ago. It says, "I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you Father, have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes Father, for this was your good pleasure."

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