Jacob Vernon Wheeler

April 4, 1998......my little bouncing back boy was to arrive in this world....however God had other plans for him....He needed to bake a little longer...10 days to be exact.  Every year on April 4 I have this strange feeling...weird feeling....I don't really know how to describe it...like all day I am waiting for something....like I should be celebrating that day....something...   You see, I was 19 when I had Jacob and when the OBGYN tells you (at 19) that your baby boy will be coming on a certain date you almost ENGRAVE that date in your brain..at least I did.....  I have always wondered why he couldn't just come on the day he was supposed to come on....:):).. 

Fast forward 14 years.....yes I said 14 years...(you do the math:) )......On April 4, 2012, Jacob comes in from school....plays with his friends..and then comes in frantically, like he does every Wednesday and says mom I am supposed to go to Chick fil A and meet the youth group to eat and then go to the revival....Okay Okay.....well Dad comes in right about that time and he has had a not so good day at work and isn't in the mood for anything other than a shower and food.....He asks Jacob what he is doing...Getting ready to go with the Youth.....Do you have homework, Dad asks?  Yes I do, Jacob says..... Well then you need to get that homework done....( he hasn't been doing well in school).  Please dad can I go?  Jeremy tells him to go ask his mother.... Of course I say yes.....So he finishes getting ready....since he had never been to a revival he was texting Maurie to see what to wear.  I was thinking like Dress Casual.....pants or jeans and a polo style shirt... He comes out and he is wearing his purple TCU hoodie, black Permian basketball shorts, I think his black Nike socks and his slides..Jordan slides....lol......Is this important....it is to me:):)....We load up and take him to Chick Fil A.....that was at 6.....

At 9 or so...he comes home....I was texting with Misty at the time...she asked me if Jacob had said anything to me....I told her no he was just walking in the door....I could tell he had been crying....I asked him how it went and he told me good...really good....He said, I made a decision tonight for Jesus to be my Lord and Savior.  I was speechless....I said really????  Yes MOM! He said, you know I was thinking mom, if I didn't make a decision now, when was I going to make it?.....He started telling me about the speaker and what he took from the message and that God just really touched his heart.  He told me he always wondered what it would be like, what it would feel like, how he would know when it was time to make such a huge and important decision...He decided last night was that night....Such a courageous young man to walk that isle without mom or dad by his side, amongst hundreds of strangers to say, I want to live for Christ and Christ alone.  I was still in awe, trying to take it all in, I didn't know whether to cry, not to cry (didn't want to freak him out), what questions to ask, how to even talk to him about such an important decision in his life. ( more on why later).....he went to the bedroom to tell his dad...he was on cloud 9!  I was texting away....He comes back in and asks me, So when am I going to get baptized and get my new Bible and all that stuff....I told him we would get with Jared(our pastor) and discuss it.... I think he is wanting a certain Maurie Bratcher to take him for the Bible....Like she did his cousin Jordan:)....

Back to the April 4, 1998 date....I now know why he didn't come into this world at that time through me......The Lord knew he was going to be coming to Him on that date.....He was Born Again on April 4, 2012!  Now every year I will have reason to feel happy instead of "weird"......

Thank you Lord for pricking his heart in such a way that made him respond and go up in front of hundreds of strangers to proclaim You as his Lord.  I am blessed to be his mother...I thank You that You hand picked me for that very important job! 
Sunday will be a very emotional day for our family!  We are truly blessed....

Lindsey