Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Faith like a Child

We had some severe weather here on Monday. I know that's shocking [not!]. It's a storm a week around these parts ;-) You can only imagine how much I'm enjoying that. Anyway, the storms hit while David was still at work this time, and that's pretty much terrible in my book. The only thing I hate more than tornadoes/bad weather is being home by myself [with the kids] in tornadoes/bad weather. Ughhh. I really tried to remain calm and composed and act like an adult so as not to terrify Aubrey. I think I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself :-) Aubrey and I had some pretty cute conversations during the bad weather, and I wanted to "write them down."

At one point, the kids and I were sitting on the couch watching "the weather." I kept referring to it as the weather, so Aubrey thought the bad weather was on the TV only. I was on the phone with my mom, and I said, "Ahhhh, I just hate this weather!!" Aubrey went and turned the TV off, and I told her to turn it back on so that I would know what was going on. To which she replied, "But Mommy, you don't like it!" I thought it was so sweet that she was trying to turn it off because she heard me say that I didn't like it.

A little while later, I was explaining to Aubrey that some bad weather might come to our house and that it might thunder and rain and that we might even have to go sit in the bathroom. I told her not to be afraid though, because Jude and I would be in the bathroom with her and that God would be with us and that He was stronger than the bad weather. She then asked me where God was. I said, "God is everywhere. He is right here with us right now. Isn't that great?!" She looked around and pointed to the TV and said, "Is he right there in that weather?" I told her that He was there, too. I repeated that God is everywhere. She seemed to accept that and said, "Ok, Mommy." She was watching the TV real closely after that, and a minute later she asked me again where God was. I thought she was just repeating the same question I had already answered, so I went into the whole "God is everywhere even though we don't see Him" speech again, but Aubrey cut in and said excitedly, "OH! There's God!" I looked at the TV and realized that, when she asked me that question, they were showing some weather maps, and when she cut in, they had gone back to showing the meteorologist. It dawned on me then that Aubrey thought the METEOROLOGIST ON TV WAS GOD! Oh my goodness. That made me laugh in spite of my terror over the weather. I quickly said, "Oh no! That's not God, Aubrey. His name is David, and he is just a man." Aubrey replied, "Oh, his name is David like you call Daddy David." Haha! Well, yes. But she was right back to asking where God was if that man wasn't God. I told her that God was right there with us. She kept saying that she couldn't see Him. I tried to explain that He doesn't have a body and we can't see Him, but He is with us, and He can hear us. She finally just gave up and said, "I don't know where He is, Mommy." It was so cute, and I said a little prayer right there that God would work in her little heart and give her understanding and faith.

We did end up having to go into the bathroom for a little while, and I suggested that we say a prayer and ask God to protect us. I started praying, and Aubrey cut in and prayed too, which I love. After the prayer was over, Aubrey said, "God is going to protect us, but when my Daddy gets home He won't need to protect us anymore." Ha! I have no clue where she comes up with these things. I told her that Daddy was strong but that God was even STRONGER! :-)

Thankfully, we made it through the whole experience in one piece. And I think Aubrey is now thoroughly confused about where God is :-) I love having conversations like these with her, even though I feel like my answers to her questions are completely inadequate. Hopefully little seeds are being planted in her heart and those seeds will take root and grow one day soon :-)

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