“What if God’s not real, Mommy?”
It was a question wedged somewhere between chicken nuggets and several asks for ice cream after lunch. My 5-year-old had just described an obscure Old Testament story to me with great detail and spiritual insight . . . and this was the next thing that came barreling out of her little mouth covered in Chick-fil-A sauce. It was authentic and sincere.
“What if it’s all just made up? How can I know Jesus is real if I can’t see Him?” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
My mind flashed through 35 years of my own, tangible experiences with God. The miracles. The tiny moments of intimacy that only my Creator could have created for me.
The times His Word pointed me on a path that I wouldn’t have chosen but was the richest, safest, most abundant, and most joyful. I wanted so badly to transfer all that heart knowledge in that moment, but I could not. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I chose to give her the simple wind analogy. How silly would it be to say that wind isn’t real just because we can’t see it? It’s moving everywhere. It’s changing everything around us. Brushing our cheeks and lifting up dandelions. Our eyes are limited but we can know there is wind by the evidence all around.
As I reflected on her questions throughout the day, fear slowly melted into a river of peace. I thanked God for her honesty. Her authentic search. Her humility in admitting her fear. Peace slowly bubbled up into joy as I remembered that He is faithful to a thousand generations. It is spilled over to my children and their children and their children’s children. His realness and faithfulness do not stop with my story. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
We ended our conversation agreeing that she’d just start talking to God and ask Him to be as real as the wind in her life.
. . . and that makes her lunch question about the best one that anyone can ask.
Audra Haney is a blogger, speaker and host of The Five Minute Mom podcast. Audra is co-author of the Bible study, The Newborn Promise Project, and can be found online anytime at www.audrahaney.com.
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