No words can explain this kind of experience!

I was sitting and watching the young run through their rehearsal of their skit.The skit was about a few different individuals falling into sin by stealing, drinking and fighting and each of them had a different reaction to the gospel just like in the story of the sowers and the seed. There being caught in sin was represented by chains around their shoulders and they were removed when repentance and forgiveness happened. Close to the end of the skit I noticed one of my 8 year old boys sitting, watching and crying. I went over to see what was wrong and one of the other boys told me he was upset about the skit. I assumed it had to do with the fact that his older brother was in the skit and pulled him aside to talk with him. He continued to cry and told me through his sobs that the skit made him feel scared. Through the tears we figured out that it was because of the chains and he was worried he had chains holding him. I was able to share the gospel with him and show to him that like in the skit when the boys prayed and confessed their sins to Jesus he forgives them and removes their chains. I told him that just like the boys he didn't have to keep the chains binding him very much because Jesus loves him very much and doesn't want him to be bound by the chains either but that he can make them free. His tears didn't end so I wrapped him in a hug and prayer over him that Jesus would give him peace and help him to understand. After a while of sitting together while he dried his tears he went and join his friends again.

I was overwhelmed, tears flooded my own eyes, this little boy eight years old crying and grieving over being in bondage. I pleaded with God to work in his heart as I fled the room to cry and pray. You have to understand I have a huge spot in my heart for this little guy. I picked him up after school every day this whole past year and care so much for him. It was overwhelming the amount of love and desire I had for him to truly understand his sin and why he has chains binding him and to know that God loves him and desires for him to be free.

Ten minutes later I noticed him off to the side crying again and his leader was struggling to get him to join the other kids not understanding the bigger struggle within him. I took him aside and sat down with him again and asked him what was wrong and he told me it was the same thing the chains still worried him. So I asked him why, forcing him to speak what he was feeling. He then confessed he was scared because he does bad things and he has chains around him. I prodded more and through his deep sobs he told me he fights and some times he steals from the grocery store and that he has chains because of this. I asked him if he wanted to get rid of the chains and he said yes. I asked him if he knew who could take them away and he replied Jesus. We then spoke of what Jesus did on the cross in order to take away our sins and chains. We prayed together, he asked that God to forgive him for fighting and stealing and asked Jesus to take the chains away because he doesn't like them and they are heavy. We then spoke of grace and how when we confess our sins Jesus takes our sin and our chains and throws them far away. They are gone, completely gone.We spoke of what he has to do now to try and stop fighting and stealing, to speak to God a lot about it and that he could also talk to myself or any of the other leaders any time about any of it. It was incredible to see the conviction and pain on this little boys face as he considered his sins and the chains holding him. As he wiped away his tears I was amazed to realize just how much God taught me about his grace through this experience. After I led him back to join his group yet again this time with a smile on his face I again had to escape as tears flooded my own eyes at the wonder of this moment, of what God was doing and what he allowed me to be a part of.

PLEASE, continue to pray for this little man as he has many struggles and temptations ahead of him. Pray that he will never lose this conviction, that he will continue to go to God, speak to us leaders and that he will learn what it means and how to live a life that represents Jesus Christ.