A guinea pig gospel..

I received  a text message that has kept me smiling throughout the week, it was from the mother of one of small boys  best buddies:

Thought it would amuse you to know that C said very loudly in church this morning that  "God made a burping boy called Freddie!"

We laughed and laughed because we could very much relate to the situation; it is  always at the most devout and critical part of the service that one of the small people  feel the need to announce their thoughts and it is never done quietly. 

We are in church on Good Friday last year when little  man calls out to Mr oldpolicehouse

"Jesus is like Tales"  

in a very loud three year old boy kind of way.  "A little bit,"  Daddy replied trying to distract him in the way you do when in church.  He was however insistent and for the sake of peace, and to allow others to receive communion without a commentary we simply agreed. But as we thought about it and discussed it later we realised in his child like way he was trying to understand something important and work out the mystery of the gospel.

Middle miss is very caring and loves looking after animals and has asked for guinea pigs for a while, having had several unfortunate incidents involving Coco the dog and small animals in the past we did our best to discourage her but finally gave in.  We trooped off to the pet shop and chose the cutest guinea pigs, checked they were both boys (to the amusement of all as you can imagine)  and duly bought them home.  Oldest boy sarcastically informed us they would not last long but we spoke to the children about taking care of Ginny and Tales  and even took the precaution of putting the hutch  in the garage.

Happy, apart from the final moment!

All was well and we were very proud of the way they were taking the responsibility so maturely.

The next day arrived and we were distracted in preparing for a mini university reunion and did not notice that afore mentioned three year old had left both the garage and the hutch door wide open.  The temptation proved too much for our spaniel and terrier cross mongrel, her hunting instinct took over and little Tales was no more.  A distraught daughter was distracted by a busy day full of people, a devoted Dad drove to several pet stores to find a new companion for the surviving pet.  The surprise backfired a little when distraught daughter was completely traumatised upon opening the hutch after our arrival home.

It was a very similar replacement.  

The children all thought Tales had come back to life and were in turns puzzled, disturbed and perturbed by it,  much reassurance including an opening of the final resting place  was needed  before they were all at peace.  We thought the matter was closed.  Little man had obviously been working it out, thinking it through and in his little boy way had listened to the Good Friday gospel  message and connected the two. He had begun to understand the simple message of the cross:

 Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.  

As it is written in the bible:

"I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

Luke 18 v 17

Our littlest man was childlike in his understanding, accepting of the gospel truth and trying to work it out in his own little life.  We are told to be childlike, certainly not childish  as we approach this great mystery of the gospel.  Childlike faith trusts, it is not contained by adult reasoning,  childlike faith listens to what is said, and believes it.   Wherever we are on our journey of faith  we must always remember this instruction from our Saviour and daily try to live in the truth of it.

A helpful explanation of the gospel can be found here.

From theological thoughts to immediate reality, burping child has just informed me  of his latest most brilliantly boyish ability, of course it involves bodily air!

Take a quiet moment to think  in a childlike way today.