THE MORAL OF THE STORY:Big or small, God listens

“Prayer is talking with God and telling Him you love Him, conversing with God about all the things that are important in life, both large and small, and being assured that He is listening.”— C. NEIL STRAIT

Conversations with 2-year-old granddaughter Mary are always enjoyable and memorable. Sometimes I can practically hear the wheels of her mind moving as her brain navigates new territory and tries to stay on track while making sense of the world.

Sometimes she mimics adult conversation with such accuracy that you think she understands what she is talking about, until she gives herself away. For example, she went through a phase when she frequently asked what time it was. It seemed odd that a 2-year-old cared about the time, but she asked the question with such confidence that I always answered her correctly.

One time my husband, Jon, and I were baby-sitting Mary and her little sister when the conversation ticked a bit longer. Mary asked Jon what time it was, and after checking the clock, he answered, “It’s 6:15, sweetheart.” She paused and then asked, “What does that mean?” Jon and I sneaked a peek at each other and tried not to laugh. He then simply stated, “Well, Mary, that means that it was six o’clock 15 minutes ago.” She said, “Oh,” and scampered off to play, leaving Jon and me alone to finally chuckle at the interchange.

Mary’s father, Ryan, told us about one of his conversations with Mary that shows she in interested in topics far deeper than the time of day. It was a Sunday morning, and the young family was getting ready to go to church. All dressed in her Sunday finest, Mary found her little, pink, velour purse. She danced up to her daddy and asked if he had any money that she could put in it to take to church and give to God. After Ryan complimented Mary on her sweet spirit, he gave her some coins.

“Daddy, what do you think God will say when I give him some money?” Mary asked her father. Ryan smiled and replied that he knew that God would be very happy with her, but that God speaks differently than people do.

Mary pondered this a while and then asked, “Does God speak Spanish?”

Mary has no problem accepting that God communicates with us, and she will learn to recognize the different ways that he does. I have heard her pray many times, and it’s clear that she is already quite comfortable telling God about the things that are important to her. Hearing such a young child talk to God with such ease and comfort reminds me that as God’s children, we too can converse with him about large and small things, and trust that he listens lovingly to them all.

And you can quote me on that.