Thursday, August 16, 2012

Children's Study Bible

There have been many days where I have thought posts in my head... many witty or thoughtful thoughts I'd like to share with others... but typing them requires two hands, and as most moms know, during my kids' rest times, I would like to use those two hands to hold a cup of coffee and put food in my mouth while staring out the window in silence.

Ransom is nearly SEVENTEEN MONTHS OLD! Gee willickers! He's kind of fantastic. But something else that is fantastic is life is kinda returning to that post infancy regular routine... And I like it.

Today in the car, Emma Jane was asking me about Jesus dying on the cross. She was asking why people didn't like Jesus and why they made him die on the cross. DEEP STUFF. (You know, just our normal driving home from the farmer's market convos...) So she and I are having this wonderful discussion of why the Jews wanted to kill Jesus, why the cross would have been up on the hill where all could see, and why Jesus and the other criminals would have been used as teaching tools and demonstrations of punishment for the "wrongs" they had done. She was asking about why Jesus had to die that way, and then Ransom interjected with a loud squeal meaning, "Get me out of this carseat!". Emma quickly reached out to him and said, "Don't worry Ransom! They won't crucify you!"

And things were going so well...


At bedtime tonight, Emma, who used to have night terrors told me, "Mommy, in the Bible it says to think on other things that are lovely, and it's the same verse on my wall!  So tonight I am going to think about an elephant chasing a butterfly, because that is lovely."

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... But she gets it. Sorta.

Maybe the history and theology are a bit over her head... She is three. But she trusts that God loves her. That Jesus was needed to make a way to be friends with God. And at bedtime, when tempted to think about things that worry her, she can have peace that passes all understanding (like elephants chasing butterflies) and dream sweet dreams. Oh, how I wish my faith were more child-like! I have much to learn from my children.