The Wisdom of a Child

It seems as though my little 4 year old is wise beyond her years... and quite possibly more often than not, wiser even than her own mother. Tonight as I snuggled beside her in bed to say prayers her wisdom surprised me yet again...

As we prayed I thanked God for her. I thanked God for her love and compassion towards others when they are hurting. I thanked Him for her smile and hugs and ability to know what people need, unaware of the special conversation He knew we were about to have. I continued praying for other things and then started praying for my Grandma Arie.

For those of you who don't know what's going on, my grandma is once again in the hospital, but this time, at least as of right now, the outcome doesn't look good. She is growing ever weak, her state of being and state of emotions slowly going downhill. She can barely move herself around and can barely put forth the strength to talk. Everything she tries to eat she has to choke down if she can stomach it and she has no motivation to do anything, even things she used to find so revitalizing. Every time she tries to laugh, she starts coughing, which probably makes it more difficult to find joy in the simple things. If you didn't know her well, you wouldn't even recognize the wonderful woman who just a few months ago was playing cards, writing notes, rearranging her living room, and laughing at her daughter's, granddaughter's, great granddaughter's, and even her own funny and sometimes quirky moments.

I thanked God for giving me the best grandma in the whole wide world. I thanked Him for blessing us with her love and her smiles and her joy for life. I prayed that He would give her strength and courage. I prayed that He would help her to find joy in whatever little things come her way over the next few days. I prayed that most importantly He would wrap his arms around her and remind her of how much He loves her and that when her day comes He would be standing there with his arms open wide to welcome her home.

As I prayed, Addyline quietly & innocently interrupted, "and that she will live alot longer right?". Sadly, I explained to her that Great Grandma probably wouldn't live very many more days to which she replied, "she could even die in the middle of the night while we're sleeping and that would be sad." I agreed and she asked, "so why are you still crying about her?" Taken back a little and thinking that she didn't fully understand what was happening, I tried to explain to her why I was so upset. "Well, it's just that I'm very sad because I'm selfish. I am not ready for grandma to go live with God in heaven, I'd rather her be here on earth with us." She laid quiet for a moment and then spoke up, "Mom, can I tell you what I know about that?" She continued, "When Grandma dies, she will still be with you. She will be in your heart and she will go wherever you go because Jesus is in her heart and she will see Jesus, so..." She put her hands up and shrugged her shoulders. "Addy," I asked, "how do you know all this?" "I just do." she said matter of factly, and then she turned over and fell asleep. I on the other hand was left speechless. With tears streaming down my face I squeezed her a little tighter, kissed her on the forehead, and whispered, "thank you"-- not only to her, but also to my Father in Heaven.

I don't know why it always surprises me... her wisdom... and the fact that God often speaks to me through her. How is it that in times like these little kids know just what to say or just what to do, when an adult, in the same situation, stands there dumbfounded and lost? I think it's because they love and they trust and they don't think about why they should or they shouldn't. They just do. Maybe we should pay a little more attention to the children around us... we'd sure learn alot.

"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3