Oh, the Things that Kids Remember!!

I received a call from my daughter the other night, and she was laughing her head off. She began the conversation by saying the reason she was calling was because her husband, Ben, had told her that she needed to tell me what she had said to him. At their house in Strasburg, they have an open breezeway between the garage and house that they can sit in. They were sitting out there this particular evening at dusk and watching the fireflies. I am sure it was a romantic setting since they are still newlyweds. Ben had moved the trash from the garage to the open breezeway because it had developed an odor. As they were sitting there enjoying the evening and the fireflies, my daughter said, "Ben, this reminds me of when we would go camping when we were kids." Ben asked her why she thought so. She continued with, "Because of the fireflies and the smell of trash!" He began to laugh and asked her what kind of camping she did as a kid!! We have all gotten a big kick out of the whole incident. I remember taking the kids camping, and I remember sitting out in the evenings and watching the kids try to catch the fireflies, but I don't recall smelling trash during the event!! It's funny what people remember from their childhood. I guess the old saying that kids are impressionable is really true. It may be many years before you find out what has impressed them or what they remember. The whole thing has made me think......what DO my children remember that I am not aware of? Are they good things.....are they bad things??? What kind of an impression have I made on them? I am not going to worry or fret about it, but I am going to take it as a reminder from God that we are being watched by the children around us. What kind of impressions are we leaving with them? What will they remember years from now? I want to be like Christ was when He gathered the children around him. I want to influence them with the love of Christ before the world gets their chance......for such is the kingdom of God.