Who are you, Lord?


I was lathering my daughter's hair this morning when all of a sudden she asked me this question, "Mom, how do you know who God is? When you pray to Him, how do you know if He hears you?"

I knew someday I would be asked such a question but I was not really prepared to answer it at 6:30am when I was mentally struggling how to move much faster and finish giving my daughter a bath, clean the bedroom, tidy up the beds, get the sandwich bags ready and take a bath and dress up for the office before 7:15am. I was in a rut. How do I answer such a question as simply as I could so that my eight-year-old could understand.

"Well honey, honestly I have never seen God face to face," I fumbled. "But I can talk to Him and He does not actually respond like this, I mean He does not talk back like people do when they talk." This was harder than I thought, I said to myself. "He talks to us in different ways," I added.

"Then how do you know it's Him?" she asked.

"He speaks to me through my heart, He leads me to the answer by opening my mind and helping me make the right decision." I stammered. Gosh! I flunked this one. I scolded myself. "I'm sorry honey, I'll get back to you on this one, but right now we have to rush or you might be late for school!" OMG! I cringed. 'I did not do so well there', I thought to myself.

Who are you Lord?, I blurted and looked upwards. How do I introduce you to my daughter?

This evening I frantically searched my books and looked for some answers. As I was anxiously flipping through a book I was currently reading I found one article called "Who are you Lord?" Now, what a coincidence! In the article was something from Helen Mallicot, you probably heard of her. And here is what she has to say.

“I was regretting the past and fearing the future. Suddenly my Lord was speaking:

‘My name is I AM.’

He paused.

I waited.

He continued.

‘When you live in the past with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not I WAS.’

‘When you live in the future with its problems and fears, it is hard. My name is not I WILL BE.’

‘When you live in this moment, it is NOT hard. I am here. My name is I AM.’” - Helen Mallicot

I could not really explain how faith works as explicitly as I wanted to my daughter because I am still a work in progress myself. But I know that little by little I can do it. And hopefully in time she will understand and form her own opinion about the matter. And I hope that she will be touched by grace when she does.

God bless you one and all!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Nicely put Lisa :o)

God never changes, God is the only Saviour, God created the universe and earth by Himself, God is the Word, God is the first and the last, God forgives sins, God is our redeemer, God is one, God has a Son, God is the Holy One, Only God is worshipped, God is Messiah, God is from everlasting, Only God is glorified, God is 'I am', God heals all diseases, God is the Judge of the whole earth, God has life in Himself.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and THE WORD WAS GOD. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH, AND DWELT AMONG US, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
--John 1:1-4, 14

God Bless you all
Unknown said…
I believe that is what children really need: to be exposed to matters of faith and belief, and to be supported in a nurturing environment.

I think you did well. Especially for so early in the morning!

Aren't kids grand like that. Bright and early...and they ask a question like that. I love it!

I hope you have a wonderful week.

truly,

Sylvia C.
Impressionist said…
About god
"Closely watching us
Responsible for living
Father in the sky"
nice post! :)

peace & love
Jeevy
Anonymous said…
hi! wow, this one is very nice! it's really hard for us to answer sudden (but sensible) questions raised by our little fellows... though, i don't have kids yet, i'm really fond of kids... i have plans of holding a story-telling session for the kids in our Church... using bible stories that will be interesting for them through approaches that are meant for kids and young ones. we can't expect them to like or begin reading the Bible, but we can encourage and motivate them in such a way they won't feel being obliged or forced.
It's really hard to explain our spiritual faith and when faced with unexpected situations like yours, we realize that children are so innocent enough and whatever we say matters to them.
nice write-up...i like the one you wrote about "Who Are You Lord?" by Helen Mallicot, very enlightening!

take care,
jen
Anonymous said…
this post makes me think how our little one view their creator.

a few times emily did complain to me that God is too far from her (I guess because she can't see Him).

I remember her face lightened up when I told my munchkin that God is 'near.' If she needs Him she could hug herself as He dwells in heart as it's in mine too.

as much as I want to instill faith in her I always pray that Emily will know her God through her VERY OWN PERSONAL WALK WITH HIM. Now she knows Him through bible stories but one day I hope she knows Him heart to heart ^_^

We - parents- plant the seeds and it's God who 'waters' the heart

Take Care There and Have a good weekend!! ^_^
~ Annita
Kelly said…
Wow that is a tough question to answer. I don't know how I would answer it. Hmm makes me think.
Sophiagurl said…
@@@Colin - good answer Colin. One of these days my daughter and I will sit down and talk about God. School helps too on the subject but I also want my daughter to meet her Creator in a more personal way, like I view Him in my life. thanks my friend.

@@@Sylvia C - thanks for the visit and yes I love it when my kids ask me questions about life. I love discussing things with them, although sometimes I am amazed at the simplicity of their question and yet no simple answer is forthcoming. =)

@@@Rajeev - Thanks Jeevy, He does closely watches over us.

@@@Asimplelife - thanks Jen, yes bible stories help a lot and makes God and His life here on earth easier to explain and relate to the little ones. Glad you liked it.

@@@Anita - what a cute conversation with little Emily. Yes it is also my wish that our children will come to know Him on a more personal way in their life. God bless you and Emily.

@@@Kelly - you said it a tough one and answering carefully is the best thing to do. glad that you visited. Happy Weekend!
Jeya Anand said…
Children make us learn small things ...don't they....how cute and smart ur daughter is.. :)

how do u like my explanation??
Kids talk to the toys believing they are life...but the toys doesnt reply...does taht stop them from talking to them?..no...God is an experience...just like that...:)
Sophiagurl said…
@@@Jattz - You are so right and the keyword there is believing=) thank you I like the way you interpreted it.

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