Preschool: Life Changing Years

I have been thinking since last week about what to write when it comes to preschool. I am participating in a fun project put on by my friend Janna at Mommy's Piggy Tales. Check it out!

There are so many options.

I could write about my imaginary friend, Polk-a-Roo, who I was actually a little afraid of.

I could write about losing my favorite My-Little-Pony, Firefly, in the sandbox when some mean boys buried it at preschool.

I could write about my only child, only grandchild years before my brother came along.

I could write about my first “best friend,” the girl across the street (Klaire), who I sobbed over when it was time to move away.

I could write about all of those things, but the truth is my preschool years are some of the most important of my life.See, my parents wanted me to be a “good person.” To reach that goal, they started going to church.

Not long after they started attending church, something happened that would change the course of my life forever.My parents, through the preaching of God’s word, came to realize that they were sinners. See, Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

They also realized that sin was a problem, for Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” Yet, the second part of that verse says, “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

They accepted what Romans 5:8 says, “But god commendeth (showed) His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

But Christ didn’t stay dead. Because he was God, He took our sins on Him, died on the cross to pay the punishment for them, and then rose from the grave in victory. They chose to accept the gift of atonement from sin and allow His blood to cover their sins, taking that gift of eternal life.


Here is a picture of the tree they saw on a family drive the day they both came to the realization that this was a decision they needed to make. Providentially, they saw what appeared to be a man walking carrying a cross that day. Could it have been an angel? Perhaps. Or perhaps it was just a coincidence that they came upon a reenactment or even something completely different than what they thought they saw. I don’t know, but I do know that God used that image to speak to their hearts.

But that was not the only decision made during my preschool years. Not long after my parents accepted salvation, we were having family prayer time. I wanted my parents to approve of me, and I had learned much in our new church, so I prayed, “Dear God, forgive my sins and come into my heart.” My parents were thrilled.

Yet, I knew something wasn’t right. I prayed that little prayer to please my mom and dad. Probably a year later I was playing in my room around the age of four or five. Suddenly, I became fully aware that the “decision” I had made had nothing to do with me, it was all about my desire to please them. In tears I went to my mom and told her that I needed to be saved, that I had prayed earlier to please them, not because I wanted Christ in my life. She called my dad, and over the phone I prayed to accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior.

Perhaps you are reading this skeptically. After all, it is easy to get a small child to do or say something. I know that all too well. I could coax my own four-year-old to pray a prayer that means nothing to her.

I have heard it said that the power of the Gospel is its ability to change a life, that you see true conversion by changed lives. Yet, at four or five years old, what did I really have to change? I hadn’t committed any heinous sins!

Not long after that time, overwhelmed with guilt, I took a small horse to my mom. I had told her that I won that horse at preschool for being good, but the truth was that I had stolen it. With the Holy Spirit now part of my life, I had a desire to make that right. I begged her to take it back to the school (which I no longer attended). I’m not sure if she ever did, but I felt right by being honest.

That decision, to accept salvation, has molded who I am as a person and a mom. My highest desire now is to see my own children come to that realization. Yet, I do not want to push them so they make a false prayer. It needs to be their decision drawn from the moving of the Holy Spirit within their own hearts.

Dear reader, if you have read this far in my story, thank you. Even if you do not share my beliefs, I appreciate you taking the time to read them and better understand me as a person. To my girls who may read this some day, I pray continually that you will join me on this journey of the Christian life, so we may all praise God face to face someday in heaven.

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