A Brief Glimpse at Christianity Through the Eyes of a Two-Year Old

Psalm 8.2: "Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger."

Jesus also quoted this passage towards the end of Matthew's gospel, though he changes "strength" to "praise."

This morning Clara worked so I was pulling double duty getting Owen and Eleanor ready for the day. I had them both dressed and went downstairs to start the car to let it heat up a bit before I took them to their friends' house to play for the day. I asked Owen to watch his sister. I came back upstairs and he had not heard me. This is what I overheard:

[Owen, reading from a Valentine's Day card from Papa and Granma]: "Jesus is so good. And he's here. And he's always happy. Amen. Now, let's sing a song."

[Owen, grabbing my old racquetball racket that doubles as a guitar and standing on the bench we use in the bathroom to help him brush his teeth which he had dragged into the bedroom. Elie, staring at him fixedly.] (Singing) "God is so good. God is so good. God is so good." [Pause] (Normal voice): Amen. Now let's pray. 

[Owen descends from the bench, begins prayer. Elie, still fixated, one leg of a stuffed giraffe in her mouth.] "God, we love you. Thank you that you are here." [Pause] "Thank you that you are here." [Taking a Nietzchean turn] "Thank you that you are dead." [Returning to orthodoxy] "Thank you that you are alive again. Thank you for your smation (ed. note, "creation"). Amen."

[Authorial figure enters the room] "Son, that was beautiful."

Owen: "Daddy, I was singing to Elie. Sit down. I sing you a song."

[Remounts red bench, holds guitar flat.] "I'm playing slide guitar. Now let's sing." (Singing) "He loves us, oh he loves us. He loves us. He is good. And happy." (Normal voice) "Amen. Let's pray."

[This same process, and nearly same prayer repeats three times. The car is excessively hot and the author is late for work.]