SUPER men

Whenever I take one of my boys to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, I'm always asked (as if it changes each month) how I best receive instructions. Do I prefer paper, verbal, demonstration, or hands-on tutorials? I think I frequently respond, "all of the above depending on the day, sleep deprivation and amount of children with me." Then, I receive a pity chuckle, and they hand me paper copies, but I appreciate their consideration that not everyone absorbs and processes information identically.
There are plenty of personality tests, enneagrams, and other assessment indicators created to help people identify their learning styles, but most teachers of little ones can pinpoint character traits after the first week of preschool. When little Levi was lying helplessly in the NICU for one hundred and fifty days, similar to a teacher, his nurses began telling me that his eyes were "very expressive." They seem to believe, after watching all types of fragile babies, that Levi was absorbing his surroundings and communicating with the strongest muscle he had at the time. As he's continued to develop I know that Levi has questions and concerns that he can't express verbally, and often times it's his eyes that speak loudest. Because I often speak about Levi's care when he's in the same room, I decided to make sure he understood why.
"Levi, do you know why you have to have therapy all the time and your brothers do not?" I asked him the other day. He responded, "I don't know," but this is a typical easy answer for Levi. "No, that's not true. You know a lot. Why do you think you have speech therapy and hand therapy Levi?" 
"Cause... I strong." This could also mean, because I need to get strong. I proceeded to provide an explanation that was not premeditated. I'm not sure how I landed on it, but I believe God knew it was the best way for Levi to understand the truth at his age.
"Yes. Levi, you are SUPER Strong! And you were born SUPER early, so you like to do things the Super way. You are like Super Man Levi, but sometimes we can't do things the SUPER way; we need to learn to do them the Right way. Do you understand?" He seemed to really appreciate this explanation, probably because I compared him to Super Man.
Not everyone can fathom truth in the same way. We don't typically tell our kids about sex, drugs, and murder at the age of three, but that doesn't mean we lie to them either. We explain truth in a way they can comprehend. Likewise, if someone is taught from infancy only to believe in things he/she can see, then the truth of God may fall on deaf ears. Hearing bible verses or sermon anecdotes doesn't open everyone's eyes to the reality of the gospel, any more than a verbal lashing about the fires of hell, (although I've heard of people understanding their need for a Savior in this way). How then do we know how to process our surroundings?
Spending time with Levi helps me unwrap his layers in order to help him make sense of his world. We must spend time with God if we want to discover the truth about Him and His proclaimed son and Spirit. Having someone tell us about him is great and essential, but it is not everyone's best learning style.
Our learning styles do change with the seasons after all. Just the other day, I had a "come to Jesus" moment as I was reading a new Bible with my little one playing near by me. It was as if I was comprehending the words for the first time. I'm not sure how or why it happened, but an obscure chapter in the Old Testament seemed to connect the dots to the New Testament. I was overwhelmed by the cohesiveness of the Bible, and plainly saw how desperate mankind has been over the course of time. Strangely, after years of loving the Lord, I finally recognized God's eternal patience with me, more so than any parent I've ever known. That patience, which I'll never be able to mimic with my own children, is an absolute gift; I could do nothing but give praise and gratitude, before I was immediately interrupted with childish mischief. Life changes quickly; the Word stays the same, but our understanding of those words can grow and develop with age.
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18). As Super Levi learns to do things the "right way," I will always encourage him in his super powers as God provides him the super natural ability to grow and change. The super natural may sound silly to some, but it's a super reality to him who trusts and believes in faith.

Super hero day at Tellus Museum was a hit! Silas described it as "Best day of my life!"

The best thing about brothers: Silas agreed to put his "weak hand" in his shirt so Levi would do the same and "get strong for five minutes."

Sumo Strong!

A had to keep the theme going... Super Protein Bowls for dinner!

This super kid has all our hearts!

Annual Firefly catching night!

He was super impressed he could catch his own this year!

Not a super power, but a lightning catcher!

The two dollar movie matinee didn't last long, but it helped with a rainy tired morning. These super brothers do love helping each other though...

Levi and Roman have a sweet duality as they help one another in weaknesses

We planted sunflowers in the garden this year, and Super Silas was excited to see them grow taller than him.

Levi will get his bones checked next week at his Orthopeadic appointment, and we pray they keep growing strong and straight because he won't wear any braces anywhere, anymore. No incentive is enough at his super age!

~Super Buster