In understanding be babes...

Just spent a lovely weekend with some friends down in Kent, and stayed with them overnight whilst I spent the days manning a Chunky Garden Furniture Stand at Medway’s Garden Festival (enough of the plugs!) I was royally looked after, and it was a delight to spend some time with them.

But one thing sticks out for me; whilst we were having a cuppa at the end of a super evening meal, one of their lovely daughters started asking me questions on the interpretation and application of some verses in Leviticus. We were soon into some very interesting discussion on a wide range of questions, and all three of their children were joining in, applying the Word to everyday, real-life situations. Out came the Bibles, and we were pouring over the Scriptures. The thing is, I held these children in my arms when they were only babes, and here they were, 18 years later, debating theology and ethics with me - not from a rebellious point of view, but to ensure that their lives were in tune with God’s will for them.

I do not have daughters, and I certainly do not have daughters like these two (I sometimes wonder what I would have ever done with girls!) And their brother is as sold out for God as the girls are, and is developing into a fine young man, a true Defender of the Faith. But is was with a tinge of sadness that I realised I probably will never have the depth of conversation I experienced this weekend, with my own children. Their needs mean that they think in different ways, and this is not always easy. But in their own ways, often unique in insight, they have their own faith. And that faith is just as meaningful, and equally as valid, as if they could write a thesis or doctrinal essay.

And sometimes, it is that very quirkiness that is able to open up new areas of understanding for me. I clearly remember, soon after my father died, that Andy came with me to put fresh flowers at his grave. I wondered how he might react, as he was only aged around 8 at the time. Without prompting, he turned to me and stated, “Gramps isn’t here, Mum”. I was unsure how to respond, but he continued, “God made a new body for him up in heaven, and He’s poured Gramps into it, hasn’t he?”

Not bad theology for an 8-year old

Pat’s Thought for the Day:
Denominations may appear to divide us; religion often does. God looks at the faith of the heart, the integrity of the spirit, and the confession of our mouths. As C.S Lewis put it in “The Last Battle”, I think that on this basis, some of the inhabitants of heaven may surprise us……