A darling seven year old girl was talking to me on the phone the other day. It all started while having a phone visit with her mother. Her mother had just told me her daughter had a question for her religious education teacher. When she asked her question, the teacher had told the little girl she had asked a good question, but to save it until next year. Her teacher at that time could answer it.
To say the least, I was somewhat taken aback by this reply. The next thing I heard myself saying was to the mother was to put her daughter on the phone, I would do what I could to answer it and any other questions on her mind. The mother was happy to do so, as she and her husband could not keep up with her curiosity about life itself. For the next one and a half hours, this inquisitive child asked me questions. I imagine these were questions she had been storing up for quite some time.
What she asked was beyond her years. I instantly connected with Judith (the name I am giving her, as Judith in the Bible was a wise and intelligent woman). Her first question was not a religious one, but why we had eyelashes. I told her they prevented dust or whatever else is in the air from entering the eye. I added that without eyelashes, our eyes make a clicking sound, that we can hear and feel our eyes blink each time we do so. I said this last bit of information was from my own experience, when a gas oven burned my face, taking away my eyelashes.
This fascinated her. The rest of the conversation, Judith fascinated me. She had many, many questions about God and what he does for us. She began by asking us if we all became angels of God when we die. Since none of us have been to heaven, I told her, we can’t say for sure if we all become angels, but we are part of his group of saints, praying for all of us on earth.
Satisfied with this, she wanted to know about evil and why we have it, using many examples of where she has seen sadness or heard about it. This dialogue lasted quite a bit, as I explained about choices God allows us to make, to grow in our wisdom. Without experiences, we could not strengthen our souls. God was there to always love us, to help us get through those difficult times. Unfortunately, some people make poor choices, which do harm others. We can only pray for them, that they will learn better decision making, to feel God’s spirit within them. It is hard for all of us to understand wrong choices people make, much less a seven year old child trying to grasp this.
Judith was not yet satisfied. She said she one more question for me. How, she said, did we get placed in a mommy’s tummy. This was a question her parents especially dreaded. Whenever it came up, they changed the topic, as it was an awkward one to answer. They were not yet ready to explain it to their daughter, who was going into second grade in a few days.
I did answer her question. But, I answered it in a spiritual way. I told her how our souls were created before we became human beings. God had to find that special mommy and daddy to plant each particular, precious soul. It started as a little seed, inside the mommy. Just as a seed grows in the garden when we take care of it, the mommy takes care of her little seed, making sure it receives all the goodness it needs. This puzzled her, wondering how this could happen. I told her about the tiny mustard seed, that when planted, turns into a strong bush. She, too, grew, to be a strong baby, ready to be born into the family. Sometimes it’s hard to understand just how God works, but that is what makes God so magnificent.
As our conversation drew to a close, I could feel the weight lifted from her shoulders. Her voice became lighter and she talked faster, excited to have her mind filled with new things.
I, too, felt a weight lift from my shoulders. I had let everyday problems get to me, the daily activities which at times bear down upon an adult. Getting wrapped up in them had let me forget about the greatness of God and the wonderful soul he has given me. It took a little girl to make me remember what is most important in my life. I am to continue to nourish my heart, my soul and my mind, as they are those precious gifts from God.
