5.01.2008

Parenting makes me glad I went to Bible College.

Our normal bedtime routine is fairly predictable around here -- we send the kids into the bedroom, I follow a couple of minutes later. I often ask the kids if either of them wants to pray, they usually both say no; I pray, give each of them about 15 seconds worth of goodnightiloveyousleepwells, and walk out. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 minutes total.

Not so tonight.

I was in the process of saying the final goodnight to Ezra when he tells me he has a question. Not too much of a deviation from normal so far, he often comes out with questions like "How do you spell doozleboozlewoozlefoozlegungungungbaguk?" in an attempt to forestall the inevitable. This one was a little different, though: "Daddy, the Bible says that people who love God, obey God. I love God, but sometimes it's really hard to be obedient and I don't always obey Him. How can that be?"

Wow. I shifted gears and answered him as best as I could -- habits, trends, a lifestyle of obedience -- but he wasn't done.

"We're supposed to listen to God, but I never hear Him. I know that the Bible is, like, God's word, but it was written like two thousand years ago. How do we know He still thinks that?"

Wow again -- immutability, omniscience, inspiration, then on to conscience, listening prayer, and the voice of God -- mind racing, trying to answer the questions accurately myself, organize and prioritize my answers, and translate them into the language of a 5 year old.

"We need to read the Bible more. I don't know very many of the stories in it."

Whoaaa. The hand of God, prompting that which I want more than anything else for my kids but have no power whatsoever to force.

++Thank You. ++

3 comments:

Greg said...

That's awesome.

Brandon said...

Sweet.

Clint said...

I love how transparent and genuine he is. And that he's thinking through these things at such a young age. I know you'll shrug this off, but I think that you and Mel are doing a great job as parents.