We just got back from a nice long vacation in Colorado. Visiting family, and enjoying the warm warm weather. The kids had a great time seeing all their cousins... I think we saw them all -- at least all the ones I know about.
I came back a bit a early to work, and Jen and the kids flew home a bit later. After getting home from the airport, I had an interesting conversation with Katie:
Me: "Katie, you guys need to take a bath."
Katie: (Looking at her hands and body) "But I'm not dirty..."
Me: "Well, you have just been through the airport, and there is a lot of dirt you can't see called bacteria that we need to wash off."
Katie: "What is Bak-tear-eee-ahhh"
Me: "Its like little bugs that you can't see that crawl on you and can make you sick."
Katie: (Thinking now, looking both disgusted, and a bit worried) "Why would god make bad things like bacteria?"
I decided not to answer, mainly because I didn't have an answer. I think there are a lot of questions about why god makes bad things and it was interesting to see Katie unconver this line of thinking. We talked about it later and I ttold her that there are lots of bad things in the world, and that god has them there to teach us things.
But seriously, what the heck good is bacteria anyways? I read the Wiki, and I still don't see any benefit. I'm open to any suggestions in helping to answer katie's question.
2 comments:
It was SO fun getting to see you guys last weekend! I'm glad everyone made it home safely and I hope Katie was able to wash off the bacteria. :)
Steve, that IS neat that she was processing through the "big questions." I think to answer that question you'd have to explain a little bit about Adam and Eve and the Fall: how God made everything good but God wanted Adam and Eve to choose to obey Him. And because they didn't, everything got all messed up in their relationship with Him. AND it affected everything else too including creation. For example, before it was a joy to work in the Garden, but afterwards, it was hard work: "Through painful toil you will eat of [the ground] all the days of your life." But even way back then, God promised that one day He would fix everything again by sending His Son Jesus who would fix God's relationship with people and also fix the broken creation. I think you'll be amazed how much Katie will "get it", when you put it into everyday language and relate it to her experiences. I know I'm always amazed by that with my kids.
And you are right on about how God uses even the bad things to teach us. A good analogy for Katie might be how a dad wants his daughter to keep her room clean by herself but sometimes she doesn't. It wasn't the father's intent for her to have a messy room but he allowed that to happen by leaving it up to her. AND he uses that messy room to teach her things.
It's a wonderful truth to be able to teach your kids because they know full well that some things "aren't right." Kids have to be taught to "accept stuff" and that that's "just life" -- their default is to be "not okay" with it. I really think that's because God is "not okay" with it and His image in them is bearing that out. That's why He promises to "wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things have passed away."
And He'll get rid of the icky Bak-tear-eee-ahhh too! :)
Good luck! And keep us posted!
pencillian and yeast for home made bread. The glass is always half full. Not always of bacteria. Bateria are little bugs looking for a home and you don't want them to live on you because you don't know where they have been. Hows that one? But when we keept clean and wash outselves we are also washing the bacteria so now its okey for them to live on us. :-)
Post a Comment