Where Does He Go to School?

Often when I answer this question, “Southeast Christian Academy at Emmanuel Baptist,” people respond with a casual, “Oh, ok…” but then sometimes added to that is the look. Nothing negative is said, but the look says a lot. People just don’t understand why we would choose to send our kids to a private classical christian school when our local school system is a good school system. Well, we had a moment at our house today that really spoke to me…

After finishing homework before 4pm this afternoon (yay!) My son asked to play the wii…no. Watch a movie?…no. “We are not turning on the tv today. You can read a book or play outside or draw or find something else to do.” “Oh…ok,” he said in his best Simba-you-might-need -to-work-on-that-little-roar-of-yours voice, and he disappeared into his room.

A second later…”Mom, can you get my helmet for me, please?” This is a very typical request. He has a plastic, don’t-wear-this-if-you-are-really-playing-footbal, UGA helmet. He wears it around the house all the time. So much that the black “G” stickers on either side are almost scratched completely off.

“Sure, buddy.”

Maybe 2 minutes later he and little sister emerge from his room and he announces that they are about to sword fight. I look up and he is wearing the helmet, a GA Bulldog t shirt with a big “G” on the chest, black soccer shorts that are too short, a brown belt, and hiking boots. He also is holding a foam, nerf type baseball bat (also GA Bulldog) and his empty arm is stuck through the paper covering for one of his Disney DVDs. Quite an outfit.

Little sister is not wearing any form of protection. Her sword is an actual wooden bat; a tiny Louisville Slugger replica we got from the factory in Louisville, KY. It fits her little 3 year old hands perfectly. She stands poised to go into battle. Gleam in her eye. Ready to destroy anything and anyone who gets in her way. Which would be my living room and her brother.

“I don’t think there will be any sword fighting today,” I tell him as I remove the bat from her clenched fist.

“BUT MOM!” he protests. I being to reply, calling him by name, but then I pause.

There is a lot unsaid in that tiny pause. Hopefully he is hearing the sirens going off in his mind…WARNING…WARNING…YOU HAVE JUST VIOLATED SECTION 4, PARAGRAPH 2, LINE C, AMMENDMENT 2 OF THE HOUSEHOLD MISSION STATEMENT. LET IT BE HEREBY KNOWN THAT NO SENTENCE SHALL BE INITIATED WITH THE WORDS “BUT MOM” FOR ANY REASON, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. However, because this ammendment was recently added, and not in democratic fashion, I am also pausing so he can finish his sentence.

“This is the sword of the Spirit,” as he holds the baseball bat high in to the air. *pause*

“And this is the shield of faith,” as he holds out the paper DVD case hanging on his arm. *pause*

“And this is the helmet of salvation,” *taps his head*

“And these are the sandals of faith,” *stomps his foot*

“And this is the belt of truth and this is the breastplate of righteousness.” * touches his belt and the “G” on his t shirt.*
“Wow, that sounds like the whole armor of God, buddy.” I am almost speechless. What first grader does this?

“Can you say the whole thing?” I asked him.

“Yeah, it’s Ephesians 6:10-18. We learned it at school.” And then he recites the entire passage for me and his dad with prompting only twice, maybe.

“Finally be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

My husband and I just stare at him and then at each other. I am immediately convicted about how much scripture I do not have memorized. I am in awe of the ease in which my young son can memorize passages like this. I wonder, if a Bible verse I have memorized EVER crossed over into my “play time”?

There are many, many reasons we choose to send our children to Southeast Christian Academy, but what we witnessed today in the living room is at the top of the list.