Ramblings from the mind of a 3-year-old boy

Last night around 11:30pm my 3-year-old son entered my bedroom. After a moment’s hesitation, I squelched the urge to send him back to bed and invited him to stay. As he climbed onto my bed I proceeded to ask him what he wanted to say to Daddy in the email I was typing. His response was, “I love you Daddy.” I was fishing for more, so I asked him to share with Daddy what he did today. He then asked, “Mommy, what did I do today?”

I continued to probe, and his response was, “You tell me.”

Hmph.

I somehow was able to catch a few more interesting little quips, but mostly just, “I love you Daddy.”

I sent the email and began to read my Bible. Of course my son would not be left out, so he asked me to read to him – from the book of Ezekiel. “We’ll see how kid-friendly this is,” I thought. To my surprise he started repeating each phrase I read, so I slowed my pace to allow him to keep up. He mirrored each inflection and did his best to say the right word. It was too cute. I wondered how long he could keep this up.

After about a chapter of Pete and Repeat he said, “Mommy, I can’t do this all day long.” “Why?” I feigned disappointment, “Because I’m ready to go to sleep,” he replied. But he wasn’t – he just changed the course of the conversation.

“Mommy, are there fireflies outside? It’s too dark outside. I wish I could catch a big firefly.”

“Mommy, are we going to a garage sale tomorrow? ‘Cause I need to get a choo-choo train.”

“Mommy, guess what I made up. Can you please eat them Sam I am? I do not like them Sam I am. I cannot eat in a car, or a tree, or a box, or anything. I CAN eat them on a table!”

I’m always curious to see what little roads we will travel down when he leads the conversation. I just don’t always have the time to wait and see, but for now...

“Mommy, don’t you know what that guy does? He smacks his face.”

“What guy?” I ask, “The guy on T.V. – on the movie tonight.”

I let him talk and talk, uninterrupted except for the occasional question to clarify. I mostly marveled at him and then thought about how we relate to God in prayer. God never turns us away and sends us back to our room when we come calling. He is never in a hurry. He invites me to stay and waits to hear from me - maybe hoping for an “I love you Daddy.”

How God must marvel at us as we go on and on and on about our day and our concerns. Like a parent with his child I imagine him smiling lovingly and enjoying the often one-sided conversation. What a pleasant thought, that God really enjoys listening to me ramble.