For the love of little minds

I have a very intelligent (or as I call it, BRILLIANT) little 3 year old on my hands...her name is Adison. She is beautiful, strong-willed, determined, and very easily intrigued. Being the literal minded child that she is, she needs to know the how's and why's of the things in her world.  She understands so much and is constantly seeking to discover more.  And so, I am constantly on the lookout for opportunities to make sense of things for her....seeing the light bulb come on in her eyes is priceless!

Recently when I talk to Adison about God, I often notice a slightly puzzled look on her face.  Not a look of doubt or compromise but just a "I don't quite understand who exactly you're speaking of" look.  You see, for Adison, everyone she knows and loves so dearly is also someone that she can see, feel, touch and love on in the flesh. Now, if you ask her about God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit she will clearly tell you that she loves them but, does she grasp the concept?...likely not.   And so, I have been praying and waiting for God to show me how to help make sense of this for her...today the opportunity presented itself and I can't help but share the moment...

Today was- well, is a cold and blustery winter day.  Too cold and windy for me to make any more excuses about not going to the grocery store because it's "too pretty outside"...not to mention we were almost completely out of food.  I had procrastinated long enough so off the the dreaded grocery store I went...UGH!  As we were walking through Wal-Mart, just Adison and I, a display of kites caught my eye and I couldn't help but think FUN...Adi had never flown a kite before so I invested $1.27 in a Cinderella princess kite.  We finished our shopping and headed home hoping the wind hadn't died down.  As I was unloading and unpacking groceries little footsteps followed mine and Adison's little voice continously asked, "is it time to fly my kite yet Mommy?".  Finally I was able to give her the answer she desired..."yes baby, now we can go fly your kite."

As we made our way outside her excitement level went up, even though she really had no idea what to expect!  I opened and assembled the kite (as Adison is repeatedly asking...what does assemble mean?) and we went running into the wide open hayfield behind our house.   Of course, at this moment, the wind was calm but it didn't take long for it to pick up again....up, up and away the Cinderella kite lifted into the air.   All Adison could do was squeal with joy and ooooohhhh's and aaaahhhhh's.  This was simple fun.

In that moment, as I stood there enjoying the laughter of my 3 year old, I heard God speak to my heart clearly as if to say..."this is your chance to explain me to her".  And so I took the opportunity I was given and knelt down next to Adison who was still flying her kite high in the air and said to her, "Adison, do you know what keeps your kite it the air?"  She says, "Yes Mommy, it's the wind".  When I asked her if she could see the wind she said, "nope- but you sure can feel it!"  I told her that the wind was a lot like God...you can't necessarily SEE Him but you can certainly FEEL Him.  Light bulb!!!   She then told me how much God loved her and special it was that she could feel His love for her and how neat she thought it was that he was invisible and that she loved him too....  I love that little girl!!

It's the little moments like these that make me feel the peace and presence of God in a very real way.  I am so glad that I made the decision to partner with God in raising my girls...after all, he know best and can take better care of them than I can.  Heck, he's able to be with them and watch over them even when I can't...now that's what I call blessed assurance!  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I cannot ever be all that they need on my own, but with God...I am completely equipped for the job.

Dear Adison,

You never cease to amaze me.  Don't ever lose faith when you can't "SEE" God, it's all about feeling Him and you will always feel Him if you will seek Him and stay in tune with Him.  He is always speaking, always moving and always working all things for your good.  He created you, He knows you and He loves you more than you can even imagine.  He's got big plans for you angel, so stay close to Him and get to know Him well.  He is ALL you will ever need.

Love,
Mommy