Hear What the Children Say

Every mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa probably has an adorable story about something their children have said that was precious to them. Kids definitely have a way with words don’t they? They haven’t learned yet how to be anything but REAL. They haven’t seen enough examples of our adult ways of avoiding truth.

Stories and Conversations

Chatting with a 5 year old ~

Mom: Does Jesus love you? Child: (without any waiting) “Yes!” Mom: How do you know? Child: He told me so.

Mom: Where does God live? Child: He lives all around us. Mom: What does He do all day? Child: He makes sure we are OK.

A friend of mine went through a family tragedy when they lost both twin girls to complications from a premature birth. One little one was able to live for more than 6 months. Soon after this the family lost the little girls’ grandmother. When their little 4 year old brother was asking about his grandma, the mommy said that she was with the two little ones. The little boy immediately responded with, “That’s because she is taking care of my sisters.” Where does this wisdom come from? No one had told him that before.

A little five year old knew that his mommy and daddy wanted another child and decided to pray for a baby. He talked to his mom about it one day while having lunch (Faith in the Storm) :

“Mommy, maybe God just wants us to have one baby.”

After his mom agreed and affirmed him with telling him how happy she was that he was in her life, he came to this conclusion:

“Well, I think we should keep on praying for a baby until you get too old. Then we’ll know that was His answer.“

Here are some precious quotes from Childrens Letters to God:

“Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident?”

“We read Thomas Edison made light. But in school they said You did it. So I bet he stoled your idea.”

“I bet it is very hard for You to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only four people in our family and I can never do it.”

When you read these, sure they make you smile. As adults we would not think of asking God such questions, but at the heart of these words is the trusting, humble reality that God is There and He knows ALL the answers!

There are many children’s thoughts about God and His power from Dear God: Children’s Letters to God by David Heller.

“Dear God, Did you think Christmas would turn out like this when you started it?”

“Could you please change the taste of asparagus, God?”

“I saw the Grand Canyon last summer. Nice piece of work!”

Mr. Heller wrote in his Introduction: “These small theologians express clear interest in their spiritual relationship to their neighbors. They seem to conclude that God created the human race with a purpose in mind, and that we are all connected to that purpose and to each other.”

After reading these words from trusting, tell-it-like-it-is children, I wonder how often we just smile and ignore the depth of truth in their words. I think I want to listen to them more carefully. What about you?