A Theological Question from a Two-Year Old

Have you ever been around a toddler and outta nowhere comes a rather deep, theological (yet simple) question?

This morning, Mya and I were hanging out.  She was strapped into her carseat in the backseat.  I was driving.  And literally...out of nowhere, she says...

"Mommy, where's Jesus?"

I took about three seconds to gather my thoughts and decide how exactly I should explain an answer to her...in two-year old terms.  I took a deep breath and told her that 'Jesus is in Heaven but that He's also kinda all around us.  Always with us.'  Mya's response?

"Didn't Jesus die, Mommy?"

"Yes, Mya.  You're right.  Remember, Jesus died on the cross.  But then He went up into Heaven."  (At this point, I'm still trying to gather my thoughts and get them out in the best possible way.)  

"Oh yeah.  Jesus died.  He went up to Heaven.  Why Mom?"

"Remember, Jesus died for our sins.  For all of the yucky stuff we do.  You know, like when Mommy yells, that's yucky.  That's sin.  Or when Mya doesn't listen and obey, that's not good, too.  That's sin.  Or when Mommy doesn't say nice things or when you hit or throw things, those are all yucky things.  All sins.  All things we need to ask forgiveness for.  We just talk to Jesus and ask Him to forgive us."  (Please keep in mind...I'm still driving at this point.  Oh, if only I could have seen Mya and her face in the midst of this conversation; I would have loved that.)

And that was it.  The conversation stopped there.  Nothing more, nothing less.  

But it left my pondering.  Isn't it amazing what comes "out of the mouths of babes"...I wish I had the ability to capture every silly or thought-provoking thing Mya said.  But I just can't...I just don't.  But this was one of those moments that I wanted to share with Brandon, too.  And when I shared it with him, he reminded me to never take those moments of questioning for granted.  Even though, Mya doesn't fully "get it," it's still an openness, a chance for her to ponder, ask questions, feel safe expressing thoughts.  It's a habit of learning and also a good opportunity for me to polish my thoughts and views before extending them to her.  

I don't know that I answered Mya's questions in the best way that I could have earlier today.  Frankly, it all happened so fast.  But thank goodness for God's grace, for the words to say in those quick moments...and for the fact that I'll hopefully have many more opportunities to talk with Mya about "the stuff of life."  And while I pondered this quick conversation with Mya, I was reminded of that fact that it's okay for me to let her know that I don't know all of the answers.  That I'm still learning and growing, too.

If you've ever babysat, been a parent, worked with children in a classroom setting, you've had moments like these, too.  In the "Post a Comment" section below, please feel free to share the questions that were asked by the little ones in your life and how you answered them.