My mom and dad have started watching my young boys this year while I work because their school closed. We were all sad about the school closing, but God provided for us by my parent’s availability and desire to take care of the boys. My mom started asking the boys 3 questions as a way of guided exploration around their world and around my parent’s home. The questions are:
What is it? (naming - good for vocabulary)
What does it do? (its intended purpose then creative imagination)
Is it safe? (both for it not to break and not to harm them)
So, if they didn’t know what a toaster was and were interested in it, she would ask the questions and it seems to satisfy their intrigue so far.
What is it? It’s a toaster.
What does it do? It toasts bread, which is yummy. Should we make some toast and put butter on it and enjoy it on the porch?
Is it safe? Yes, if you know how to use it and you use it correctly. But be careful, it can be very hot.
What am I curious about? More and more that answer to that is, “God.” So, what if I answered these questions about God?
Who is he?
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. A.W. Tozer
He is the majestic King of the universe! He is 3 parts and 1 all at the same time. He is complicated yet his message is simple. Love Him and serve others. He is knowable yet we will never understand all of Him. He is unapproachable and set apart yet, with the right heart we can be in His presence. He is worth exploring more.
What does he do?
He turned to look at me, as he always did when answering a question, but to my surprise he said nothing. At last he stood up, lifted his traveling case off the floor and set it on the floor. Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?" he said. I stood up and tugged at it. It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning. It's too heavy," I said. Yes," he said, "and it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It's the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger, you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you. Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place
He carries my burdens if I let Him. He carries the answers to everything so I can rest in His knowledge and not have to carry everything myself. He creates everything and holds everything in his hands. He acts, He loves, even when we don’t think we see it.
Is he safe?
"Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)
He is and He isn't. He's pure goodness but becomes dangerous to those who rebel or insult His Holy name. Yes, it's complicated, but what meaningful, profoundly deep thing in life isn't? I can come to Him with any and every thing that I consider a problem because of Jesus. His arms are always open wide. But does that make Him tame, weak, and crushable, no!
My 4 year old’s answers were:
Who is God? God. Jesus. Love.
What does God do? Helps us and saves us.
Is God safe? God is safe, Mamo. He’s in everyone’s hearts. (That’s our prayer, sweet M)
How would you answer these questions about God? Would there be more similarities or more differences in our answers?
May you and I discover more and more about I AM as we dive deeper and deeper into this thing called life.