One of the lessons we try to teach Kiera is to talk to God. I love teaching her this. Not only because it is important for her to know but it is a constant reminder for me to talk to God.
I love listening to her prayers. Sometimes they are super short and then there are other times she tends to go into more detail. One night, as we sat down to eat dinner at my in-laws we asked who would like to say the prayer. Kiera raised her hand. Everyone closed their eyes and bowed their head.
Now, normally, the prayer that the other girls do at dinner is usually a short prayer thanking God for the food.
Kiera began her prayer. Her soft little voice carried through the quiet kitchen. “Thank you, God, for our food. Thank you for our friends and family. Thank you for loving us.”
At this point, I expected an “Amen.” This is her standard prayer. But, she continued.
“Thank you for our plates and our cups. Thank you for our fingers. Thank you for our table.”
By now, I had covered the lower half of my face with my t-shirt, to try and contain my giggles. I had tears beginning to stream down my cheeks.“Thank you for our pets. Thank you for forks and thank you for our milk. Amen.”
After complimenting her on her prayer, I laughed a little at how drawn out she had gone. Although, I will admit I am extremely proud of her for being thankful for the little things we sometimes take for granted.
It’s interesting to see how kids interpret Bible stories. I remember, years ago, filling in at the last moment in a five and six year old class. I grabbed the story of David and Goliath and began to read. As I started talking about the mean giant and how David threw rocks at him, I looked into the wide eyes of the little boys that were taking in every word. I paused in my reading and quickly changed to the story of Noah and the Ark.
One of my all time favorite memories of teaching Kiera about God happened a few months ago. We were in church singing. I usually sit with the younger kids and try to keep them engaged in worship service.
As we were singing, Kiera began to look around. She noticed a woman crying while she was singing. Kiera tapped my leg to get my attention. I leaned down so she could whisper in my ear. “Why is my teacher crying?” She asked.
I decided to forgo singing and try to explain. I remember being so proud to talk to Kiera about Jesus. I sat down on the pew and pulled her close. I quietly began to stumble over my answer.
“Well, honey, she is crying because she is happy. She knows that God died for her.”
At that moment, I realized I slipped and said God instead of Jesus, but I didn’t bother correcting myself and possibly confusing my child even further. I remembered that on one of the pews was a Children’s Bible with pictures. I instructed her to get the Bible and bring it back to me. She hurried across the aisle, grabbed the Bible and came back. I opened the Bible and flipped pages until I came to the pictures of Jesus on the cross and a picture of the tomb with an angel in front.
I proceeded to try and explain how Jesus/God died for us so we could go to Heaven and that is why her teacher was crying. Once again, I was feeling accomplished at having explained something to my child.
Before I could pat myself on the back, one of the other young girls came over. She leaned in to me and asked quietly, “Why is my teacher crying?”
Just as I opened my mouth to give her the same explanation I gave Kiera, the song ended and the church was momentarily quiet.
At that precise moment, Kiera sighed and said as loudly as possible, “Because God’s dead!”
I am pretty sure if you had looked at my face at that moment, you would have seen the sheer panic that flashed across it. Thankfully, the next song started and I pulled both girls close and we discussed Jesus and how He rose from the grave.
We have since cleared up that story…or as far as I know we have. Heaven only knows when she will catch me off guard again. I do feel fairly certain that God is looking down on us with a smile and possible a laugh from time to time.
Rowonna McNeely is a graphic artist for Willie’s T’s Screenprint & Embroidery. She is a mother of a four year old girl and step mother of two adult girls. Her crazy life includes a dog, Sloane and psychotic cat, Gracie. Both females. She is married to her prince, who is outnumbered by the opposite gender.
