Out of the Blue

On this last journey through toddler years, I'm soaking in every new phase. To me, each progressive stage of newborn to elementary age is fascinating, but the one we're in now just sends me over the moon.

My littlest Little is five, just stretching into his five year old britches, with a mind and personality that are both a bit bigger. I adore watching his unique personality develop. He's quite the charmer when he chooses to be.

More than a budding charisma, I love watching his heart decipher the big thoughts in his little mind. Daily, he has questions, deep questions. He longs to understand, to piece together the stories of Scripture he's learning with the heart of their message.

On a recent vacation, we were nestled together as a family in a tiny, touristy ice cream shop. I turned to see my little man with a far off look in his eye, and from that out of the blue place came this question, "Mom, were the people who made the Titanic like the people who built the Tower of Babel?"

Uh...Gulping my frozen yogurt and pushing aside the fact that no one was speaking of the Titanic or a tower of any sort, I tried to get to the heart of his question. "Do you mean were they prideful?" He nodded with the most urgent look on his face, as if to say, "This is important. I've got to get this pride thing. It's big and it's bad and I think I might understand it." "Well, yes, "I replied, "They thought they could make the biggest and the best and the unsinkable. They didn't listen, so, yes that was prideful." He nodded, this time in affirmation to himself of the connection made in his mind and heart. And with that he went back to his single sized scoop and his triple sized thoughts.

Oh! I want to linger with him in that out of the blue place where his eyes are opening to spiritual things. It's a beautiful place. It's the place he goes to each morning in devotions when he listens with such intensity that his facial expressions react to the drama of the text. As we studied the events leading up to the crucifixion, he focused on every scene of the upper room. In his mind he was there.
It's a breathtaking thing to watch.

As a mom, my heart cries out to God to continue to woo this little one with His Word. I pray his fascination with it, his focus on the details of each passage, will never fade. My biggest prayer though is that God's Word will continue to connect with his heart.

I wonder why we can't all be like my little man, living in that out of the blue place where our hunger to understand compels us to match what we see in the world with the message of the Word. Why can't we rise above all that is taking place around us to see Jesus and let His Truth be our reality? Is it because we've stepped out of the blue and into the gray? Everything we once simply understood, believed at face value, depended on in childlike faith has somehow gotten lost out there in the murky gray of the foggy teaching of the world.

So how do we go forward, through the haze? We go back, back to the simple, but profound Truths of the Scripture. Instead of seeking more of the world in flesh, we seek more of the Word made flesh. We seek Jesus. We ask Him those out of the blue questions to bring clarifying connections in our heart and mind. He's promised if we seek Him with all our heart we will find Him. If there is anyone who seeks with all their heart, it's a child. Their determined focus is amazing. Just think about when they want a new toy. They seek a relenting yes and focus until they get the desired answer.

I believe this is the way Jesus would have us live. As a matter of fact, focusing on a child Jesus set in their midst, He taught the disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" Matt. 18:3).

Let's go there, to that out of the blue place where we see life, death, family, friends, strangers, enemies, work, home, church, everything, as Jesus sees them; connecting His Truth to our circumstances and trusting in His answer to be the only Answer we ever need. And contemplating it all over a frozen yogurt just might help.