Theology, age four
Trey and I like to look at the grocery ads together. This is my way of introducing finances to him, by comparing prices and discussing wants vs. needs. His favorite thing to do is to circle the items that are good deals, and put an X through items that are unneccessary or too expensive.
Really, Food Lion? Eight bucks for a pack of toilet paper? Really??
Several weeks ago, he sounded out the word "Beverages", and I was forced to provide a very G-rated explanation of alcohol. I told him there were certain things God didn't want us to put into our bodies, and some of those things were called beverages in the grocery ads. Seemed to satisfy him, and since then, he just puts Xs on everything in that section.
Fine by me.
Yesterday, he was poring over another ad and came upon the beverages section again. Begin unexpectedly deep theological discussion.
Trey: Here are the bev-er-gizz, Mama. I don't know if it's a good price but I'm X-ing them out.
Mama: Right, buddy.
Trey: I know about Bud Lite because there's a commercial when we watch the ball games.
Mama: You're right, but not everything you see on TV is a good thing. We always need to do what the Bible tells us. That way we always know the right thing to do. Sometimes TV shows us bad things.
Trey: But that man sure looks happy with his Bud Lite.
Mama: He does. The Bible tells us that making the wrong choice can make us happy for a little while, but that sin will come back to sting us.
Trey: Sting us?
Mama: I mean, you know how sometimes you think it's fun to hit Aden or push him down?
Trey: Yeah.
Mama: Well, then what happens?
Trey: He cries and I get punished.
Mama: That's right. Anytime we make a bad choice, whether it makes us happy or not, somebody is going to get hurt. Maybe it will be you, maybe it will be someone else. And maybe it won't happen right away, but it will happen. Do you understand.
Trey: Yeah, I understand. I'll just X all of this stuff.
Deep breath. How I praise the Lord for giving me wisdom and clear words to say, as all too often when I am blindsided by something deep, I stammer and run away.
Later that same evening, Trey is reading his Bible in bed. I am trying to finish cleaning up the kitchen.
Trey: MAMA!!
Mama: What?
Trey: In my Bible it says, "Do not love the world."
Mama: That's right, do not love the world.
Trey: I read it right here. It says, "Do not love the world." Right here!
[As I lament the interruption to my cleanup mojo, the Holy Spirit says to me, "Nothing is as important as this. Go." So I went.]
Mama: Show me where, buddy.
Trey: Right here! Do...not...love...the...world.
Mama: Do you know why it says that?
Trey: Why?
Mama: As you get older, there will be lots of times when you need to choose between what is right and what is wrong. This verse says that we are to love God more than anything else, so that when we have the chance to do something wrong, we can choose the right thing because we love God more than the world.
Trey: Like at school, even if Luke hits somebody, I won't hit somebody because I love God.
Mama: That's it. I'm so proud of you - you really understand, don't you?
Trey: Yep!
I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
Luke 10:21
Really, Food Lion? Eight bucks for a pack of toilet paper? Really??
Several weeks ago, he sounded out the word "Beverages", and I was forced to provide a very G-rated explanation of alcohol. I told him there were certain things God didn't want us to put into our bodies, and some of those things were called beverages in the grocery ads. Seemed to satisfy him, and since then, he just puts Xs on everything in that section.
Fine by me.
Yesterday, he was poring over another ad and came upon the beverages section again. Begin unexpectedly deep theological discussion.
Trey: Here are the bev-er-gizz, Mama. I don't know if it's a good price but I'm X-ing them out.
Mama: Right, buddy.
Trey: I know about Bud Lite because there's a commercial when we watch the ball games.
Mama: You're right, but not everything you see on TV is a good thing. We always need to do what the Bible tells us. That way we always know the right thing to do. Sometimes TV shows us bad things.
Trey: But that man sure looks happy with his Bud Lite.
Mama: He does. The Bible tells us that making the wrong choice can make us happy for a little while, but that sin will come back to sting us.
Trey: Sting us?
Mama: I mean, you know how sometimes you think it's fun to hit Aden or push him down?
Trey: Yeah.
Mama: Well, then what happens?
Trey: He cries and I get punished.
Mama: That's right. Anytime we make a bad choice, whether it makes us happy or not, somebody is going to get hurt. Maybe it will be you, maybe it will be someone else. And maybe it won't happen right away, but it will happen. Do you understand.
Trey: Yeah, I understand. I'll just X all of this stuff.
Deep breath. How I praise the Lord for giving me wisdom and clear words to say, as all too often when I am blindsided by something deep, I stammer and run away.
Later that same evening, Trey is reading his Bible in bed. I am trying to finish cleaning up the kitchen.
Trey: MAMA!!
Mama: What?
Trey: In my Bible it says, "Do not love the world."
Mama: That's right, do not love the world.
Trey: I read it right here. It says, "Do not love the world." Right here!
[As I lament the interruption to my cleanup mojo, the Holy Spirit says to me, "Nothing is as important as this. Go." So I went.]
Mama: Show me where, buddy.
Trey: Right here! Do...not...love...the...world.
Mama: Do you know why it says that?
Trey: Why?
Mama: As you get older, there will be lots of times when you need to choose between what is right and what is wrong. This verse says that we are to love God more than anything else, so that when we have the chance to do something wrong, we can choose the right thing because we love God more than the world.
Trey: Like at school, even if Luke hits somebody, I won't hit somebody because I love God.
Mama: That's it. I'm so proud of you - you really understand, don't you?
Trey: Yep!
Luke 10:21
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