I was having lunch today with two of my very best friends in the entire world, David and Norma Wright, and as it does so many times when we're together, the conversation turned towards their two grandsons - Blake, age 6 and Ryland, age 2. Blake and Ryland spend almost every weekend with David and Norma due to their parent's weekend work schedules.
Well it seems that Blake has really become fond of attending church with his Mimi and Poppy in recent months, which he does just about every weekend, and has started asking some very deep and thought provoking questions about God...questions like, "if God created everything, who created God?" And, "how can God be everywhere at once?" You know - those questions that adults just love to field from 6 year olds.
Last weekend after church, Norma was standing in her kitchen when Blake came into the room and asked her..."Mimi, how do you talk to God?" Norma, gathering all of her theological wits, replied, "sweetheart, that's what prayer is...you don't have to close your eyes, you don't have to say any special words, you just open your mouth and talk to God just like you would talk to Mimi."
Equiped with this new found theological truth, Blake quietly whirrled around and left the room, apparently satisfied with his Mimi's counsel. About an hour later, Norma walks by the playroom when she hears Blake say, "Dear God, you sure are pretty..."
Wow, the pure and simple faith of a child. It made me stop and think about how I relate to God in my own life. Do I approach Him like He's some sort of etheral, immpersonal and distant Being? Or, do I come running and jump into His lap like He's the loving heavenly Father that He is? I'd like to say that I have the latter mindset, but unfortunately, I tend to let myself get caught up in the litany of religious rituals and traditions of man made origin that serve no other purpose but to throw up roadblocks in our relationship with God.
God help me to be as natural in my communion with my heavenly Father as a child is with his Mimi.
3 comments:
That was so cute!
God sure IS pretty!!
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It's interesting that you should mention relating to God as Father. I am in a Bible study now about that very subject. With the challenges facing families today (and the divorce rate), it should not be surprising how many people find it difficult to relate to God as Father...especially when they had an abusive or distant earthly Father. It takes a lot of prayer to ask God to reveal Himself to you in a way that you can understand if you have never known a loving father; unfortunately, I find this to be true to a lot of people I minister to...but God is gracious and merciful and knows our needs.
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My daughter (just turned 5) has recently been asking questions like that. It is fun, yet sometimes tiring, to figure out the best way to relate the answers to them. I find myself a lot of times coming out with the theological, adult answers. I stop and start over, remembering who I am talking to! I enjoy this age, I just hope they don't start growing up TOO fast!
David D
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