“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4
The first time I heard the name Aaron, I turned to my husband at church and said,
“Our next son will be named Aaron.”
I loved the name Aaron for three reasons.
1. It looked cool. Two of the same letters next to each other in a name basically rocks and you know it.
2. Spiritual – Though my Christian spiritual journey was evolving, I loved the idea of having kids with biblical names.
3. Professional – I had made a career throughout the country teaching presentation skills and even had my own consulting business working in the corporate world teaching executives about public speaking. The Aaron written of in the Bible was a great orator among other notable qualities.
In other words, I just had to have an Aaron!
So right there in the pew, next to my toddler Nathan and the Hubs, God delivered this name “Aaron” like a song and a promise to my soul.
Two years later, he was born. Nate called him his “miracle.” I had birthed my Aaron.
The name fits him perfectly. Aaron is a rising sophomore at Moody Bible Institute and an enthusiastic speaker, a wonderful olive shoot and a Jesus follower.
But I could never have imagined what would happen this past Father’s Day.
On Father’s Day, Aaron delivered his first sermon.
In front of our extended family, the gluten-free gf and other members of our con- gregation, the Hubs and I sat and listened to our Aaron preach.
Aaron and the gf/gf just before he got up to share the sermon
His sermon was about the importance of fatherhood in the Christian home.
The Lord has blessed my ministry-minded middle with an affable personality and a comfort in front of crowds.
Ike read the Scripture before his big brother gave the sermon. I don’t even think I owned a Bible when I was his age and if I did, I certainly never opened it. Thank you Lord for these glimpses of grace!
Of course, you know I am biased, but I would have listened to Aaron’s words even if he wasn’t my son. He delivered the message with conviction, thoughtfulness and passion.
At one point in the sermon, I turned to the gluten-free gf and felt very convicted about the message. I whispered to her, “I’m glad God didn’t make me a father. I’ll just be the mom, thank you, Lord, very much!” She smiled and agreed!
God gave the Hubs a gift on Father’s Day and He used our Aaron to deliver it. What a sweet blessing to behold and something I, this former angry agnostic, feminist, existentialist woman never would have imagined!
On Sunday morning, we saw the culmination of all the hard work my boy had poured tirelessly into his message. The hours researching, studying Scripture, praying, consulting with our pastor and seeking the Lord’s voice before he used his own were worth it.
The night before, he stayed up late going over his message with the gf/gf. I think she probably had that thing memorized.
What blessed me as a mom and as a church member was the reverence and time he gave to his message. This is not always the standard today.
I felt safe with the way he handled Scripture, Aaron’s words were measured and forceful yet he spoke humbly. Aaron has been raised by a godly, Christian dad but he also acknowledged that he has no experience being a father.
As I listened to him speak, I recalled that Sunday morning when I first heard about an Aaron.
Now I was hearing from my own.
Wearing a new polo shirt purchased the day before, looking so handsome and adorable, full of the Spirit, oh, how could my heart contain such pride and joy!
Here is an excerpt of his sermon. I look forward to hearing many more. Don’t you just love it when your kids make you proud and do something you never imagined possible?!
My Awesome Olive Shoots 