Better Than I Planned

photo credit: ibspro.net

Having naturally curious children who love to ask questions 
makes reading the Bible an adventure.
And I love that.

I never know where the conversation will take us.
What they will pick up on.
What will resonate with them.
Or confuse them.
I never know what connections they will make.
Or people they will relate to.

Reading the bible with inquisitive minds
is a journey of twists and turns.
The only sure bet seems to be me holding greater appreciation 
for my children when all is said and done.

This morning was no exception.
We started out with this bible,
reading of John's revelation of hope for ones who suffer for Jesus' sake.
What followed was conversation of 
happiness for the persecuted, 
trial by jury, 
the death penalty, 
freedom to worship,
and Heaven.
(Did I mention the twists and turns?)

It ended with Eliana sharing this image she has of her prayers to God.
She explained that she imagines Heaven on a cloud.
And on that cloud is a mailbox.
And when she prays her prayer becomes a letter.
And that letter gets delivered into that mailbox.

Sometimes at night, she said she prays so much, 
she can see the mailbox 
fill and fill 
until it explodes from all her prayers.

And then, she imagines God opening each letter.
He reads it.
And then He hangs it on His wall.

And I sat in delight at her words.
I had no idea we'd get to that point of conversation,
but I am so glad we did.

Her mind's pictures of God and heaven and prayer
remind me that God is working in her life.
She explained in images a part of the process of prayer - 
a rather abstract concept to grasp.

But do you know what brought me the greatest joy?
To know she sees Abba cherishing her words to Him.
You see, at our house, good art gets taped 
to any square foot of wall that's free. 
If a picture is hung, it's done with joy and pride and love.
And in Eliana's rendering of prayer, her Heavenly Father
finds her words wonderful enough to hang.

That makes this momma-heart smile wide and broad.

I never know where we will end up when bible reading begins.
But it's always better than what I could have planned.