These things. These theological questions that Olivia comes up with. I’ll tell you, if this isn’t the most humbling task, the instruction of Little Ones concerning God’s Truth, then I don’t know what else is.
While driving home from a LONG outing to try and find a fabric store that carries Anna Marie Horner’s “chocolate lollipops” fabric Olivia asked me, “Where is God, I want to be with Him but I can’t see Him.”
Criminey! So I said, “well God lives in Heaven, which is in the sky behind the clouds and the stars and the sun.” It feels good to talk to her about something that I love so much, but I’m worried about being confusing, worried about giving too much information, or too little. The best advice I’ve been given is to let their questions guide you. Well, Olivia is a girl of many questions, so these conversations go on for a long time.
“How can we fly up into the sky so that we can get behind the sun and see God?” she asks.
“Well, we can’t. But God comes down to us, too. So we can see Him down here. When we read our Bible, that is God’s Words talking to us. And when a little baby is Baptized God puts himself in the water and pours himself all over the baby, so we can see Him there. And when we take Communion at Church we are eating Jesus’ Body and Blood, so we can see Him there.” I said, hoping that she wasn’t confused.
“That means that there are two Jesuses.”
“No, there’s only one Jesus. It’s just like there is only one Olivia even when you get a cut and your blood comes out.” At this point I was pretty sure that I was being confusing. Now I’m talking about biology and theology. Yikes. Where are all the smart people? How in the world am I going to help Liv know God in truth?
But that seemed to be enough for a while. Until later that night we were reading a book about St. Patrick. I asked who God’s Son was and she said, “Jesus.” So I reminded her that Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Then I said that the Holy Spirit is inside her. “I don’t want Him in there. Can you take Him out?” she complains, pulling at her shirt.
Great. This is the spiritual instruction that I have to give her now when Rob and I are her only influence. What kind of questions is she going to come up with when other people are telling her things? Will I ever be ready for this?
That made me laugh. One of the Children’s Catechism’s early questions is “Can you see God?” And the answer is “I cannot see God, but he always sees me.” Lexi learned that this week. That’s right after “Where is God?” “God is everywhere!” Somehow, I think saying these answers cements the concepts in my girlies’ heads enough that they seem sensible.
Last month Kate was concerned that God was so big and isn’t he squished in my little heart? etc.
You’re doing a fine job, Devona. It’s sure a lot easier to talk about what Jesus did while on earth than what he’s up to now, eh? It’s great that she’s asking all these questions. And every answer is going to be bizarre to her, of course. And that will provoke a new question. But just think how much you’ll get to talk about Jesus with her. You’re not going to make a skeptic out of her just because the answers are bizarre.
Did we ever give you “The Big Book of Questions and Answers About Jesus” written by our minister? Something like that might help stimulate especially good questions from her…just guessing.
So happy to hear about Olivia’s growing faith.
Andy
You gave us other books for Christmas, Andy, but I”m not sure if you gave us that one. We haven’t cracked it open yet if you did.
I do think I’d be more prepared to answer this if I had ever memorized the small catechism. One more thing to do this year.