Two Year Old Theology ?

The other night, as I was snuggling and rocking Eva to sleep just before bedtime, she heard the word "heaven" in the first song on her lullabye CD (Be Thou My Vision.) She sat up and we had the following conversation:

Eva: Mom, where is heaven again?
Me: It's up in the sky kind of, it's a beautiful place where God is, remember?
Eva: Mom, God is in heaven, but isn't God with me too?
Me: Yes, God is in heaven and God is kind of everywhere too - He is with us now, and whenever we pray and talk to God He's there too - he is all around.
Eva: But mom, I don't think God is here now.
Me: Why babe?
Eva: (pointing) He isn't on my dresser; he isn't by my curtain; he isn't in my bed with me. Where IS HE?
Me: (smiling) I know its hard to not be able to see God, but remember when Jesus was born as a baby, in our Christmas stories, that was when God lived with us and was friends with children and sick people and good and mean people. Jesus was friends with everyone, so we would know that God wants to be everyone's friend.
Eva: Where did he go after Christmas?
Me: (hesitating a bit) Well, he grew up, and did lots of cool stuff, and then he died honey, but then God made him well again and took him up to heaven, and so now we pray to God and his Son Jesus and -
Eva: (cutting me off and putting her head down on my chest to go to sleep) I still can't see him here mom. Will he come here tomorrow?

I couldn't help but thinking that she was asking the same questions we grown ups struggle with. Adults of all ages have trouble with not being able to see God and know for sure if He is with us. I wonder how understanding things like the trinity, heaven, prayer, faith, and belief in an eternal and transcendent God must sound to a two year old... I kind of love the whole concept that our little girl is wondering about all this stuff.

A Spoonful of Sugar

We've been buried under snow, colds, ear infections, work trips, church trips, and a healthy dose of good fun lately! But I am not sure where the whole last month went - it kind of flew by. Anyway....

Eva LOVES watching the classic movie "Mary Poppins" lately. It's been our go-to movie this winter when she or we are sick - which has sadly been too often.  She knows almost all the words to the songs and dances along with various scenes. Her favorite parts are the chimney sweeps (although the fireworks are scary), the chalk drawing scene and the penguin waiters, and tidying up the nursery. (She also for some funny reason loves the scene in the bank with the old guys on the day the kids visit with their dad.)  I used to sing her "Feed the Birds" as a lullabye sometimes at night, and now its right up there with "Baby Mine" and "Jesus Loves Me" as one of her top three nighttime songs!

A few weeks ago, while eating her morning grapefruit, Eva took a long time to savor a delicious bite. She uttered a big long, "Mmmmmm," and then said, "Rum punch" with a grin. I didn't stop laughing for a full five minutes. If you know our girl's favorite movie well enough, you may recognize this line from when Mary Poppins doles out medicine to the kids and herself, and each spoonful (although all from the same bottle), comes out a different color and flavor. Mary Poppins drinks her spoonful and says, "Mmmmm, rum punch," which of course Eva doesn't know is a flavor, but apparently now thinks is an expression one says when something is delicious.  :) I kind of love that. Thank you Julie Andrews.