Where is God?

"Where is God?" Sarah asked me this evening as we read what she has dubbed "Pappy's book". (Sorry Pappy, we don't why! A family at church gave it to her at Christmas.)

This is one of her favorites right now. But let's be honest, she has something like 10 favorites at any given time. The girl likes to read. And we like that.

The fun comes on this last page. (Sorry that it is sideways!) It says:

And then, in the dark, Junior fell fast asleep. He wasn't scared, because he knew that God was right there with him.

So Sarah looks at me, then looks at the page, and then back at me. And then, quite concerned, she asks, "Where is God, Mommy?" Her face was so transparent. Junior said God was with him, but Junior was the only one on the page. This is a problem.

How to describe where God is to my 2.5 year old . . . how to keep a theological question of this magnitude simple . . .

My best shot was to say that God lives in the hearts of people who believe in Him. Junior believes in Him, so God is in Junior's heart. He lives in Mommy and Daddy's hearts and we hope that one day He will live in Sarah and Josiah's hearts.

She was satisfied. And she really liked putting her hand over her heart and my heart.

Later on, I asked her where God lives. Her sweet and funny response: "God lives in town...and in our hearts."