By: Tom Cash
Preaching Minister, Church of Christ at West Unity
I asked friends to share some of the innocent—and funny—things their kids said when they were young. Here are some responses that made me smile.
One Sunday morning during the service, my oldest son, about 4 years old at the time, heard the pastor refer to Jesus’ death. “Jesus died?!” he shockingly questioned me. I whispered, “Yes…” but before I could explain further, he asked, “Did He smoke?”
While learning a children’s song about Jesus holding us in His arms and never letting us go, one of my young sons stated, “I know God holds us all the time but sometimes I just want to get down.”
When my daughters were old enough to spend a night or two with their Grandma, I came to pick them up one afternoon. My parents lived in Door County and had a long narrow driveway, which I preferred to back up into rather than drive forward. On this particular afternoon, my middle daughter, who was about 5 years old at the time, was watching me back in and said to my Mom, “Grandma, Mama is driving sideways!” This same daughter told her Grandpa that she had bricks in her stomach to make separate compartments so her food did not mix together. She was about 3 or 4 at the time.
While living in the parsonage across the street from the church building, one of the church elders volunteered to watch our kids for an hour while my wife and I were both at a choir practice. This gentle grandfather helped our son get ready for bed, listened to his prayers, said goodnight, and turned off the light. Within minutes he heard Josh stirring in the room. Going to the door of the bedroom, he asked, “Josh, are you asleep?”
“Yes,” came the answer.
Stepping further into the room to be able to see better, he said, “Josh, you can’t be asleep. Your eyes aren’t closed!”
Josh’s reply was memorable: “You may sleep with your eyes closed, but I sleep with mine open!”
One of the ladies of the church watched both our kids while we took an overnight trip to a Christian conference. Coming back the next afternoon, Betty bent over laughing, telling us about some of the things our young son said. His most memorable statement came after he stood for the longest time at her family room sliding door. He seemed fixated on the clothesline in the back yard. Finally, he asked, “Betty, what you got them two trees tied together for?”
Our grandson, not quite two years old, was in our living room absorbing “all things Christmas.” The tree was decorated. A train was circling beneath it. Christmas music was on the stereo. And then it happened. The day’s cold rain changed into snow. Not being old enough to remember his first winter, he stopped looking at the festive decorations inside and stared out the window. Pointing in disbelief, he turned, looked at me, and exclaimed, “White rain!”
Kids are precious. And so is their innocence. But as we grow and mature, logic becomes more complex, and faith can become more difficult. We are approaching holidays that used to fill us all with wonder when we were young. They still can.
Jesus’s disciples once asked Him, “Which one of us will be the greatest?” He answered by calling a child to him. Standing that little one in front of everyone, he said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:1-3).
“Out of the mouths of babes you have provided perfect praise” (Psalm 8:2, Matthew 21:16). May this upcoming holiday season become a holy season; may your faith be renewed, your wonder restored, and your love rekindled.
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Tom Cash is the preaching minister at the Church of Christ at West Unity, Ohio. He leads Bible studies at the West Unity Seniors Center and serves on the board of the Mill Creek-West Unity LifeWise Academy.