Where is God?

I taught my kids that God is everywhere, all the time.  I wanted them to know that no matter what happens to them, God is present and even though they cannot see Him, God is there. 

When my middle son was three years old (because he was third born), he had heard numerous times that God is everywhere and that God is WITH him.  One Thanksgiving, just after he turned three we went to a community-side church service.  People from all over our town came…Methodists, Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians, etc., and the pastors all wore their traditional attire for the service.  The pastors would rotate for community services who would share scripture, who would preach, who would do offering, and who would host. 

For that particular holiday, the pastor from the Disciples of Christ Church was preaching and he wore his black robe.  He was a tall man, and he wore a long black velvet stole.  As he walked toward us to greet us, I noticed my son had his mouth open and his eyes were as big as saucers.  I wasn’t sure what was going on, so I stepped a little closer to him as I greeted the pastor.  After the pastor shook my hand, he turned and walked to another family.  When I looked down at my son (whose eyes were still wide open), he whispered, “Mom!  God IS everywhere…he’s right here.”

While I was trying really hard not to laugh and thinking how to explain to my son that God IS everywhere, but the man in the black robe was NOT God, my oldest son poked him and said, “Where’d you get that idea? That’s not God, it’s just another pastor.” 

I started to explain to my young three year old that yes, it was a pastor but that God is everywhere. When he said to his brother,  “IS TOO! God is here.” 

Okay, with that, I decided to let it go.  God is here was quite good enough for me. 

P.S. Of course, in time my son did figure out the man in black was a pastor and he probably didn’t remember the encounter that day.  What he did remember is that God is Everywhere.  It just doesn’t get better than that.