A Preschooler’s Theological Debate

 A theological debate between two preschoolers

“Someone just called my name. I think it was God!”

It was early evening We often played musical beds at bedtime because the younger children liked the security of a sibling or two falling asleep with them, especially when older brothers and sisters were still up and having fun. So it happened that I was laying down on Emily’s bed nursing an infant while she played with my hair and sucked her thumb. Five-year-old David was almost asleep across the room. His breathing was slow and deep. The only other sound in the peaceful room came from a fan that created just enough white noise to drown out the other kid’s voices.

David suddenly sat straight up in bed, popped his eyes open and yelled excitedly,

“Someone just called my name. I think it was God!”

Emily took her thumb out of her mouth and lisped,

“Who is God?”

I turned my head to look at her and smiled, “You know, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Emily was still puzzled,

“You mean the priest at church?”

“No”, I responded, “The God that fills the whole universe.”

Emily took her thumb out of her mouth and said very dismissively,

“Oh, Himmm. I know Himmm.”

Then she closed her eyes and stuck her thumb back in her mouth.

Discussion closed.

I barely held in my laughter. This little squirt took for granted her close relationship with the Living God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God is close to babies and little children. His relationship with them is not complicated, as natural as breathing. They are simply His children; He loves them and they reflect love back.

David interrupted and added joyfully,

“Well, He called my name!”

Emily opened her eyes and stated very authoritatively but in a nasal, little girl voice,

“It was just your imagination, Daaave.”

Then she closed her eyes and started sucking her thumb again.

David was upset. I countered her statement,

“It could be God, Emily. The Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and does communicate with us.”

David was satisfied and he lay back down to sleep.

But Emily, with her eyes still closed whispered to me,

“It was just his imagination!”

Then she popped her thumb back into her mouth.

Discussion closed.

My Heart is Not in Stuff

Remember yesterday, when your home was on fire and you got to save five items? That means you left a lot of stuff behind. What are the things you wish you could have taken, but had to leave behind?

I did not write yesterdays post because the only objects that I would run into a burning house for are photos of family, my computer, an overnight bag with toiletries and a few changes of clothes , a bible crocheting to help any tension and nerves. That's it.

As for regrets, I really do not think that my heart is in things. Since I was a little girl, I have felt content with what I have materially.  Even now when my nine kids ask me what I want for Christmas, I pause for a moment with a blank mind. I have to search to come up with a list.

Rather a strange state to be in because this is not the result of spiritual striving, fasting, prayer, it is just how I am. Living with little people has only strengthened an innate tendency to enjoy the little things, to be grateful to be alive and in communion with the Spirit.

Little kids have been my teachers and taught me that the key to happiness and joy is thankfulness and appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us and especially that is just above our heads.

There is much to be grateful for if we will simply stop for a moment and really see the details which surround us every day.

Children delight in the plethora of tiny details all around them. They are born with a sense of wonder and the ability to enjoy little things.
Children love to peer closely at tiny objects. Perhaps it is because they are closer to the ground but they stop at every flower and bug, especially a bug on a flower. As they look, touch, smell, even lick each wonderful new discovery, all their attention is riveted on that one thing. At first it was difficult to slow down during our walks and let the toddlers set the pace but it was a wonderful instruction in relaxing and becoming fully present to the moment.
At first I was only capable of enjoying whatever captured my children's notice but now I realize that they were experiencing so much more than I initially thought. In their silent, non-verbal attention to nature, they were in deep communion with God Himself as He is present in His creation. Adults struggle for years to merely glimpse the intimacy that little children have naturally with God. They do not need to strive or work for this state of contemplation because they are without guile, prior opinions or expectations; they are open and look with trust, ready to absorb the love, joy and peace that envelopes them. Children are grateful for everything.
To live in a constant state of gratitude and thankfulness. Even if I were to live in the midst of a concrete jungle, I could at least stop for a moment, look up and give thanks. I simply need to remind myself to glance upwards, above my little busy world and enjoy the sky. The sky alone is an extravagant present that continually fills me with the joy if I remember to take a break from my "important" business.

Life or Death: A Four-Year old Chooses

Ultimately, there is a thin veil that separates life and death.

The following is a true story of a four-year old child, in a coma, following a serious car accident.

Chandra was still not conscious when she began to speak to her parents in the ICU. She spoke as if in a dream, describing a big room with two doors where she sat waiting with several other people.  She explained that  she had to decide which door she wanted to walk through.  A really nice man, dressed in white smiled at her and told her that she was completely free to walk through either door. One door would bring her back to her life on earth.  If she liked, she could across the room, take  the nice man's hand and walk through the other door.

In the beginning, Chandra spoke weakly, in a disjointed manner insisting that the nice man loved her so much that she wanted to be with him. As the days passed, she spoke in a stronger voice and began asking her parents,

"Do you love me?"

When they assured Chandra that they loved her she answered,

"Wellll...I don't know. I really want to be with him. Buttt...maybe I will come back"

The next couple of days were spent in an almost comical dialogue as Chandra asked if her siblings, grand parents and extended family all loved her. After each confirmation, she emerged slowly from her coma, answering in an ever more confidant voice,

"Maybe I will come back!"

Throughout the discussion, Chandra  described the other people in the room, casually mentioning two people who stood up and walked across the waiting room, walking through the second door with the nice man. One was a young guy, who looked just like her young uncle and another an old woman who was like her grandmother. Within minutes of Chandra's announcements,  an elderly woman and a day later a young man died in the ICU.

For her parents, the most startling fact of this entire experience was that tiny Chandra could perhaps choose between two outfits her mother picked out or whether to have an apple or an orange for a snack just a week ago. On earth, she would not make any major life decisions until she was 18 years old. Yet she was deciding whether to live or die.

STOP. LOOK. GIVE THANKS

sky alone is an extravagant present

There is much to be grateful for if we will simply stop for a moment and really see the details which surround us every day.

Children delight in the plethora of tiny details all around them. They are born with a sense of wonder and the ability to enjoy little things.
I used to walk quickly and with a sense of purpose before I was a mother. I soon learned that even with my first child tucked and fastened into a stroller, a fast pace was almost impossible. Absolutely everything fascinates little people. Things that we consider mundane, drab and boring grab their attention.
Children love to peer closely at tiny objects. Perhaps it is because they are closer to the ground but they stop at every flower and bug, especially a bug on a flower. As they look, touch, smell, even lick each wonderful new discovery, all their attention is riveted on that one thing. At first it was difficult to slow down during our walks and let the toddlers set the pace but it was a wonderful instruction in relaxing and becoming fully present to the moment.
At first I was only capable of enjoying whatever captured my children's notice but now I realize that they were experiencing so much more than I initially thought. In their silent, non-verbal attention to nature, they were in deep communion with God Himself as He is present in His creation. Adults struggle for years to merely glimpse the intimacy that little children have naturally with God. They do not need to strive or work for this state of contemplation because they are without guile, prior opinions or expectations; they are open and look with trust, ready to absorb the love, joy and peace that envelopes them. Children are grateful for everything.
I, too, can learn to live in a constant state of gratitude and thankfulness. Even if I were to live in the midst of a concrete jungle, I could at least stop for a moment, look up and give thanks. I simply need to remind myself to glance upwards, above my little busy world and enjoy the sky. The sky alone is an extravagant present that continually fills me with the joy if I remember to take a break from my "important" business.

Where Does She Get This Stuff?

three-year-old Lucy was perched like a little elf on a high stool

"Lucy, whose your favorite, mum or dad?"

One afternoon, I was making dinner, standing at the counter with my back to our three youngest children. Katie and Anthony were lounging around the kitchen table, with three-year-old Lucy perched like a little elf on a high stool, happily swinging her legs.

Simply making conversation, Katie who was about eight, asked Lucy,
"Lucy, whose your favorite, mum or dad?"
Lucy replied,"Both!"
Still facing the counter, I looked over my shoulder and intruded on their conversation,
"Smart answer, Lucy."
Lucy was not done, though,
"But she's not my real mum, Mary is.

Katie rolled her eyes, slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand and said incredulously,
"Where does she get this stuff?"I tried to explain as simply as I could,
"Well, the Holy Spirit is in her heart and she listens to His voice."
Lucy jumped right back into the discussion and chanted in a sing-song, lilting voice,
"That's right. God the Father in my heart. Baby Jesus in my heart. Holy Spirit in my heart. Mother Mary in my heart.... but.... I still like mum and dad the best!"
Katie rolled her eyes and plunked her head down on the table with a loud sigh,
"Where does she get this stuff?"
I just laughed.
A few weeks later, as I crouched down to tie Lucy's shoelace, Lucy picked up the small gold cross I wore around my neck and said,
"This is the cross of Jesus and the glory of God shines all around it."
Katie rolled her eyes again, slapped her forehead and asked,
"WHERE does she get this stuff?

What Does Jesus Do With Ghosts?

David, mischievous, playful but deeply in tune with the Spirit

"These guys have big guns and they just point them at a ghost and kaboom, the ghost disappears!"

Michael's father, a police officer, had given our family free tickets to a large three-ring circus production that the police department were sponsoring. Of course after a few hours, the flashing lights, loud music, breath-taking suspense, excitement and cotton candy overstimulated all six kids. Rather than playing like they usually did, everyone was hyperactive, yelling and becoming increasingly agitated.
It was obvious that I needed to intervene and help them unwind. I don't like sticking kids in front of the T.V. but this was an emergency. None of the kids could believe their good fortune and immediately fell silent as I tried to find a decent show. Soon, they were completely enthralled by a cartoon called "Ghost Busters". At that point, even though I had never let them watch this particular show, I was just happy that everyone was gradually unwinding.
Not David though. He came barreling into the kitchen after ten minutes and yelled,
"Mum, mum, you've got to see this show. These guys have big guns and they just point them at a ghost and kaboom, the ghost disappears!"
I sighed and said,
"David, guns don't really work against ghosts."
Immediately David wondered,
"Well, what does work?"
I explained,
"You shouldn't try to deal with ghosts, just send them to Jesus." Dave paused for a moment and asked,
"So, what does Jesus do with ghosts when He gets them?
I laughed so hard that I barely could answer,
"Honey, I really don't have a clue."
David stopped for a moment, and then smiled. I quote my son's exact words,
"I know what He does. He takes them into Himself and fills them with His love."

A Theological Debate: Child's Play

It was early evening.

We often played musical beds at bedtime because the kids liked the security of a sibling or two falling asleep with them, especially when older brothers and sisters were still up and having fun.  So it happened that I was laying down on Emily's bed nursing an infant while she played with my hair and sucked her thumb. Five-year-old David  was almost asleep across the room. His breathing was slow and deep. The only other sound in the peaceful room came from a fan that created  just enough white noise to drown out the other kid's voices.

David suddenly sat straight up in bed, popped his eyes open and yelled excitedly,

"Someone just called my name. I think it was God!"

Emily  took her thumb out of her mouth and lisped

"Who is God?"

I turned my head to look at her and smiled, "You know, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Emily was still puzzled,

"You mean the priest at church?"

"No", I responded, "The God that fills the whole universe."

Emily took her thumb out of her mouth and said very dismissively,

"Oh, HIMMMM. I know HIMMMMM."

Then she closed her eyes and stuck her thumb back in her mouth.
 Discussion closed.

I barely held in my laughter. This little squirt took for granted her close relationship with the Living God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God is close to babies and little children. His relationship with them is not complicated, as natural as breathing. They are simply His children; He loves them and they reflect love back.

David interrupted and added joyfully,

"Well, He called my name!"

Emily opened her eyes and stated very authoritatively but in a nasal, little girl voice,
"It was just your imagination, Dave." 

Then she closed her eyes and started sucking her thumb again.

David was upset. I countered her statement,
"It could be God, Emily. The Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and does communicate with us."

David was satisfied and he lay back down to sleep.

But Emily, with her eyes still closed whispered to me,
"It was just his imagination!"
Then she popped her thumb back into her mouth.
Discussion closed.