My Daddy Made It!

Our church is having Vacation Bible School this week.  VBS is one of my favorite childhood memories, so I’m excited to be going back as a volunteer.  I’m working with toddlers this week–children of other volunteers, who are too young for the “full” VBS experience.

I was surprised and encouraged, though, to see that there IS a curriculum for this age group.  Yesterday, we talked about God’s wonderful creation.  We sang songs, played, ate snacks, and listened to stories.  One of our activities was to talk about some of the specific things that God created (plants, animals, the sun, etc..)  When I asked the group, “Who created everything?”, one little guy popped right up and with all the confidence of a three-year-old, proclaimed, “My Daddy made it!”  This was not really a wrong answer– His Heavenly Father did make everything, to which another young fellow added, “Yeah, God made tractors, too!”

Toddlers may not have the “approved” or “acceptable” answers to big theological questions, but their hearts instinctively know that good things come from our good Father.  The whole group was ready to shout out about plants– grapes, tomatoes, pickles, and blueberries were all mentioned, along with carrots and corn.  Lions, elephants, and puppies.  And, of course, tractors.

Sometimes, it’s easy for adults to get distracted by the things WE have made–plans, careers, decisions, mistakes, partnerships, habits–that we lose sight of the wonderful things God has given us.

I want to take some time today (before and after working at VBS) to pause and say, “Thank You” to my father for clouds and trees, for carrots and blueberries, for hope and joy, and for puppies and elephants, too.  But I also want to pause and soak in the amazing thought that “My Daddy made it”– for my good, for his pleasure; to be enjoyed and protected, used and shared.

And I will look for tractors along the way, too!