Recently Sofia learned how to say, "God." She clasps her little hands together in prayer and speaks his name whenever we pray together as a family. Don't I sound like a model Christian parent right now? As cute as this sounds and as proud as I am that she prays to God with us as a family, throughout the rest of the day it's clear the concept of God is more complex than a 17-month-old can really understand, or at least more complex than I know how to explain just yet.
For example I was singing her a song just now. I asked her what song she would like for me to sing next. Her response, "God." Then we started to walk downstairs and talk about Daddy. I asked her if she knew where her Daddy had gone, the correct answer would have been "work," a word she was just learning. Sofia responded, "God." After this we walked to the front door to check the mail and I asked her, "What do you think we got in the mail today, Sofia?" You guessed it. Her response was, "God."
So to Sofia, "God" is a song, He is a place, and He is something that the United States Postal Service carries from one place to another. I've heard the saying "out of the mouth of babes," to refer to the surprisingly insightful things children can come up with. But I've yet to find the theological profundity in what Sofia has shared with me thus far.
I think instead I have some work to do to try to explain to her who God is. And how do I explain that someone she cannot see is someone who is with us each and every day, created all of us and everything we see, someone that loves us and that we can love in return? I guess I have to admit that He is more complex than even I can truly understand. And maybe that is a worthwhile theological lesson that my little babe has taught me.
Theology just got 10 times more complicated.
Kelly Dickson (Noling) used to be my Bible study leader, and she would often challenge us to remove any and all Christianese from what we were saying. It surprised me that I struggled to explain some of the concepts I've spouted all my life. All this to say, it's great to simplify things.
ReplyDelete!! Love Kelly! She gets significant credit for why I went to Westmont. I often connect you to her, since you've been working in admissions.
DeleteAnd that's such a neat challenge. I imagine it would often leave me fumbling and bewildered. I had an Old Teatament professor who challenged us to read the Bible alongside someone who hasn't grown up with it or in the church. That has totally changed my approach from this sleepy-eyed Ho-hum "I've read this all before" attitude to really opening my eyes to how wild that book is.
Great post, Zoe:)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tim! :)
DeleteOf course God is worthy of worship in song, He should be part of our everyday lives (like work), and He longs to communicate with us. Sofia nails it every time!
ReplyDeleteTrue. True.
DeleteWe've started doing basics like "Where does God live?" and she points upwards and says Heaven. Sometimes she confuses this with Mimi and Aunt Lala going in an airplane in the sky :-). We look at pictures of the cross and I say "Jesus went to the cross because He loves you." Em totally doesn't understand the theological or practical implications of this, of course, but she will now look at a cross and say "Je (that's as far as she gets with his name) love Emily." I talk about how God made her hair, toes, belly, etc, and that she is special. We do the "He's got the whole world in His hands" song. She does the motions and then names her family members so I can then sing about how He has them in His hands. They soak in a lot so early!!!
ReplyDeleteSo neat, Libby! Lots of great strategies and early growth! I'm taking notes!
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