This past month instead of our normal Good Dirt talk each evening we made a commitment to pray for the persecuted church around the world. It was interesting. It is hard enough for Mike and I to identify with these brothers and sisters in Christ. We have both traveled quite a bit and been to multiple 3rd world nations including some that are in governmental unrest. Nevertheless our kids who are middle class America, have never been hungry or never not had a Christmas or birthday present waiting on the special day. But we read stories each day from Voice of the Martyrs. We read stories of dads that had to flee from their homes on our daddy's birthday. It made it a bit more real to them that while we participated in celebrating our very special guy, a very special guy to someone else had just lost his life only because he loved Jesus. As we discussed that where these events happen we could not even sit as we were and talk and pray and read about Jesus. Our kids each in their special ways got it.
Isabella while she sits fully entrenched in her self revolving, 16 year old thoughts had a glimpse of losing everything she knows because of her faith. Did it strengthen her? I do not know. Did it challenge her? Yes!
My Kadin, in all his 5 year old innocence just knows that he "loves Jesus and everyone should love Jesus but I guess they don't have to."
And our Quinn who teaches us more than any long educated professor could, writes in his Revolutionary War paper for school that the " colonists just wanted their independence so they could love Jesus without being killed in their own homes." He cannot fathom a world without freedom. He knows no persecution or racism or judgement. He only knows freedom in life and in Christ.
I am not sure that any of us can truly understand what the persecuted church faces daily... But they do have a few more prayers coming from some young ones in Colorado.