Philosopher Theologian

Hope has always been one to ask deep questions and be curious about spiritual things, but never more so than recently, when we've been listening to her audio Bible in the car. We'll be cruising along, listening away then she'll say:

"Pause! Why does it say we're God's lost treasure?" or

"Pause! Why did they put a crown of thorns on Jesus?" or

"Pause! Why did the short man take people's money?"

You get the idea.

I love it that she has questions about these things, and that she cares enough to ask them. And I try my hardest and best to answer her questions well. But imagine my reaction the other day when she busted out with this:

"Mom, sometimes I think we're not real. Sometimes I think our car has a wind-up thing, and we have wind-up things, and we're just toys that somebody is playing with. Like we're toys in a little girl's bedroom, and she winds us up to play with us, but we're not real."

Cue Mom's instant silent prayer and simultaneous stroke!

Yes, it did scare me a little to hear her question if we're "real," especially since she's so steeped in the story of Creation, and a knowledge that God loves her. BUT, I also know she has a huge imagination and it's normal to wonder, to feel small sometimes, and to step back and think what you know suddenly seems hard to believe.

I didn't bombard her with questions about why she thinks we're not real sometimes, and I didn't do any preaching either! I think I said something like, "Oh yeah, why is that?"

I'm reminded, again, to pray for my kids. I'm proud of Hope for thinking big thoughts and asking big questions. And I'm curious, if she's like this at 3 1/2, what in the world is 18 going to look like?!