a child's questions about God

usually i just share family updates, cute pictures of the kids and the events our of daily life...but i realized that i needed a place to write down {for my sake} all the funny, serious, surprising conversations and events that happen with our kids.

So here goes...
Ellington is a questioner, she's not quieted by quick answers that don't mean anything and contemplates everything you say or don't say. if you spend just 1 day with her you might be completely drained mentally and physically from her questions and her need to know "why". if she wasn't my sweet little girl, i might be completely annoyed by it, but i actually find it refreshing and it makes me stop to think of the "real" reason for many things in life. i'm not sure who she'll become as an adult, but i do know that her need for things to make sense and the right answer will always be apart of her. she's one smart cookie and can't easily be fooled {or she'll call you on it}.

so what has been some latest questions of our dear {almost} 4 year old...
this week on our way to a swim meet for our babysitter and then a morning of moving and unpacking our church she asked "Can God fall from Heaven?" an easy no didn't end the conversation...Why, can't He? Where is Heaven? Isn't it Up There? Couldn't He fall if he was close to the edge? How come I can't see Heaven? and many more followed.

Faith like a child? Well, this child is pushing the envelope to understand her faith and believing in God even though she can't see him. This isn't the first time she's asked about Heaven, where God is, or during Christmas why we don't celebrate Hanukah and why we're not Jewish...whew!
{side story: she's asked several times about a dear friend's little girl who died, "Doesn't she miss her mommy & daddy?, Isn't she alone in Heaven?, How did she get there, did she walk? Does Jesus walk up to Heaven?" and so on....}

How do you answer the theological questions of a 4 year old? As simple, yet as truthful as you can. We talk with Ellington alot about feeling God with us, talking to Him when we need help, are scared, or need patience. She says she feels him and often we find her "praying" talking to God on her own: when Beckett has hurt himself, when she's in a time out, and the best is when she's singing random worship songs all mixed together. Her prayers often mimic ours but are so sweet coming from her, even she is sinful and broken in need of God's forgiveness.

So our conversation on the way to church was filled with heavy theology talk that I'm sure could be debated by many, but in the end Ellington knows that Jesus came down from Heaven as a man, just like us, to save us. Save us from our own sinful nature and restore us and promises us a life with him eternally if we believe in Him. Yep, that's what we said and you know what, she understood it at least in her own way for now.

We are constantly amazed by her questions and her need to know more. Writing it down helps me remember who she is as 4 year old. Someday, I'll have the chance to reread this and compare it to who she is then. A prayer we have for each our children is that they will grow to know and love God as their own personal Savior. Yes, they'll grow up in a home where God is worshiped, talked about and served but they have to come to make that decision for themselves.

You hope as a parent who believes so strongly in something that your child will follow and accept the same faith & beliefs. It is through our {josh and i's} example, leadership, guidance and dependence on God that we find peace in knowing our children's future will someday rest with him. I am grateful more and more for the legacy both of our parents have left with Josh and I. A legacy that embraces others with love as Christ loved us, one that encourages us to step out boldly in our faith, and one that serves a  just God, a loving God, a God who came for ME.

So for now, we'll keep answering our children's questions of God and life the best we can. We're glad that they feel free to ask questions and we pray that it continues well into their teens and adult years, whether they're still at home or on their own. Asking the tough questions and seeking God's answers is how we become closer to the one who created us and sustains us.