samuel and the cosmos

i have to write a little bit about this guy:

he came into the world and surprised me in so many ways. he has shown me so much about myself and the world around me. he's a compassionate thinker. a sweet-souled little boy.

and lately he has been coming to jason and me with a new kind of question. he has always asked many many many questions. most of them have surrounded some division of biology. he started with sounds, "what does a giraffe say" and then food "what does a lion eat?" and then habitat... you get the picture.

as he now learns more about God, there are new questions.

"why do lions eat other animals?"

-"well it's the way God made them."

"why did God make lions eat other animals?"

-"well... actually He didn't really. He made everything perfect- without sadness or pain, but Adam and Eve disobeyed and that's a consequence of that"

and so many similar questions followed. my little philosopher fell and scraped his knee. and as we hobbled into the library afterward, he asked me, "why does God let us get owies? is it because of Adam and Eve and the sin and disobeying mom?"

there has been frustration and tears as he learns more about the sadness of the world. the lamb who had to die for Passover. God asking Abraham to be willing to sacrifice everything for His sake. (and he's on the verge of becoming a vegetarian)

but we've told him how the story ends. and his hope now frequently lies in heaven, where the lion will lie down with the lamb and there will be no more pain or sorrow.

so recently he got a sliver and begged us to leave it alone. "Don't take it out! I'll wait til heaven. I can wait til then."

he keeps making me reach deep into my bag of truth-comfort to answer his cosmic 'why' questions. it has been a wonderful and exhausting exercise. he is daily trying to reconcile his sense that bad things shouldn't happen and the all-powerful good God he's learning about.

it is the question that stops so many of us in our tracks. how do i respond, how do i make sense of the bad i have to face when i rely on a good and powerful God?

this little face has been keeping the big picture of His goodness in my face these days. and it has been good aerobic spiritual exercise. a habit of thought i've been forced into. to see His hand of goodness in the face of my depravity. His gift of a path- a yoke that is easy and light.

looking toward the cross and the empty tomb today, i'm again filled with awe and gratitude. and am praying that He will help me explain this crazy plan of love and grace.

oh how this boy makes me smile. so thankful he's ours for a little bit.