So, sure of course, he didn't understand and letting our pastor know this. I asked our pastor to talk with him, and explain in the simplest terms to Nicolas what it means to be baptized. Pastor Gaylund agreed and sat down with Nicolas one summer day. the conversation went something like this:

Pastor Gaylund " Nicolas, I understand you want to be baptized."

Nicolas ( while kicking his feet back and forth and staring at the book shelf, never sitting still or looking like he is paying attention) finally says "Yeah".

Pastor Gaylund " When you make a commitment like this, you are saying you want to try and not do things God wouldn't want you to do, like get angry at others or hurt other people, and not steal." And " you would want to do things that God would want you to do, like love other people and be nice and help other's".

Nicolas ( still jumping around and grinning from ear to ear, never actually looking at the pastor) "yeah".

LOL I'm dying I think there's no WAY he is even thinking about or hearing what our pastor is sharing. But nonetheless, he was agreeing. It was after all his request.

We agree and Nicolas will be baptized..

Upon leaving the meeting with the pasture, we get into the car and Nicolas turns and says to me "Mommy?"

" Yes, son?" I reply.

"I think I better give up wrestling" Nicolas says with a smile on his face.

"WHY?" gasping for air, I look at him.

" Well, Pasture Gaylund said God doesn't want me angry at others or to hurt them. When I wrestle if I lose I get angry and if I win, I hurt them". Nicolas declares.

"Well son" I say, " Let me explain this better, God doesn't want you to DELIBERATLY hurt someone else, wrestling is a sport, IF someone else gets hurts while you are in a match with them and you did not do it DELIBERATLY then I think there is a difference. Same with anger," I went on to explain. " if you lose and you get mad and angry and you are not a good sport then yes that is a misuse of your anger. If you just get disappointed and are sad because you wanted to win, you just try and again and you don't have to hate the other person for your loss."

Nicolas was soon baptized.

I encouraged him to continue to wrestle and that I didn't think he has bad motives. ( my ears needed to be cleaned out, because I missed his message here!)

Come the last wrestling match of the season and my son Nicolas has made it to the State Championships. For this I am so proud of him, all of his challenges with his daily life and he reached a goal some kids never reach in their wrestling careers. I was the PROUD mom let me tell you and I had all the button's with his photo's on them pinned to my shirt and the T-Shirt and etc... I couldn't believe how far he went.

Nicolas sat in his seat before the medal winning event and he kicked his legs around and wiggled ( not uncommon for him, he never sits still!!) He looked up at me, while I was rubbing his shoulders and he said with the cutest smile and his little chipmunk cheeks " Mommy, If I lose this match can we go home?".

ACK! *glitch* I do the mommy geek out. " Wow Nicolas why would you want to do that, if you win this match you get a medal for fourth place and if you win after that you could get a trophy for 3rd place!!"

Nicolas said " Mommy, I don't think God likes wrestling, If I don't win I am going to be very angry and if I'm going to win I will have to be very strong and I will hurt the other kids." he went on with tears in his eyes and he said " mommy I really don't want to do this".

I was in shock. How can I argue with his conviction? I could not, I cried with him, I felt like I had just not heard him all the way through this wrestling adventure and that it was truly in his heart to do what he thought was right ( and believe me, he doesn't have that urge often).

I said to him, " Nicolas you can go change and it is okay, I love you and I am so proud of you for standing up to me and to what you believe even if it took you along time to get me to hear you".

Nicolas walked off the mats and changed his clothes, he never looked back and he never ever once cared about what he lost that day. He didn't care what his friends said about why he wasn't wrestling. He taught me so much in just a few minutes about how important it is to be right with yourself ( even if you have FAE) and God and even when "other's" may think your crazy ( even if you are!) if your right with God ( even when all your behaviors don't show it ) you in fact received the highest medal and/or trophy there is, a heart. For God doesn't judge us based on our performance and that day he won the match with out even stepping foot on the mat.