Tucker...

"...that whosoever believes shall have eternal life..." - John 3:16

Six years, four months, and four days after he was born into this world, our oldest son, Tucker, made the most important decision he will ever make. He prayed to receive Christ into his heart. It was something that he had pondered for months. He would ask questions. He would share his thoughts with Paul and me. He knew, intellectually, the "ABC's" of becoming a Christian. But spiritually, he was not ready.
Then, on January 21, he came into my bedroom as I was getting out of the shower. "I'm ready to do this," he stated, matter of factly, while holding an Upwards basketball magazine. "Do what?" I asked, thinking he meant a puzzle. "Ask Jesus into my heart."
Gulp.
Fighting back tears and an overwhelming urge to scream "Hallelujah!", I asked, "Do you want to wait for Daddy to come home?"
"No, I want to do this now."
He knelt by my bed. I joined him there. I asked him if he wanted me to help him.
"No, mom, I can do this myself."
When did he get so big?
And then he began the most eloquent prayer I've ever heard. In his simple, childlike voice, he told Jesus that he knew he was a sinner that needed a Savior. He said he believed that Jesus took his place and died on the cross for his sins. He asked Jesus to forgive him, and asked Him to come into his life and to help him start living for Him. He concluded by telling Jesus that he loved Him, and even thanked Him for loving him first.
How did he know all this?
Yes, it's true, we've been teaching him those things his entire life. But I honestly wondered, between wrestling with his brother and sneaking ice cream sandwiches out of the kitchen, if it went in one ear and out the other.
I told him later that afternoon that his life would never be the same. He just grinned and said, "I know."
Very matter of fact. Very simple. But that is the way it is, isn't it? The greatest gift offered to us -- eternal life -- is so easily received.
As Tucker would say, "Cool."