Am I a Christian?

This past weekend, I was installing a doggy door in our back slider, when Emma, my four-year-old, came to me with a question. She asked, rather excitedly, "Am I a Christian?" She saw the word in her new young-readers Bible, and had heard it used before, but wanted me to tell her if she was one or not. So I hurried up to finish the job and went with her to look at what her Bible said about being a Christian.

Her Bible, one we had just recently bought for her, has a page that describes in rather simple terms what Christians believe and how to know if one is a Christian. I went right for that latter part of the page. It said that Christians believe in God and believe that Jesus died for their sins and want to love Jesus and obey His commands. So I turned each of the points on the page into a question for her. She answered that she did believe in God, that she understood what sin is and that Jesus died to forgive them, and that she loves Jesus (she loves him "a hundred thousand;" quite a lot for a four-year-old). Being satisfied with her answers, Emma concluded that she was indeed a Christian.

It didn't feel like the typical salvation experience. We didn't pray the sinner's prayer or anything like that. It seemed more of a confirmation of her faith than a conversion. She's always been a smart one, but I am impressed with her understanding of spiritual things even at her young age.

I have been praying, and will continue to pray, for her to grow in her understanding of her faith. I know her journey of faith will take many twists and turns, and she may have to revisit those questions to affirm her faith. As young as she is, I really hope she remembers this day. I know I certainly will.