My five year-old nephew recently learned the story of Lazarus at his school. And it was God’s gift to ME that he learned from a friend what a mummy is – at approximately the same time. Hee!
His poor teacher had worked so hard to present this Bible story in a way that young children would understand. Unfortunately, she included the detail of Lazarus being wrapped in linen, and my nephew’s newly acquired knowledge of mummies lit up his brain like a Christmas tree. Turns out, “Lazarus was a mummy!”
I laughed long and loud and unashamedly – more so when my nephew acted out the story for me. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Lazarus portrayed as a tottering, moaning mummy with outstretched arms and a lazy eye! Classic. He didn’t stop with Lazarus either. Someone else was wrapped in linen . . . yep, my nephew said in all seriousness, “I think Jesus was a mummy.” I don’t envy my sister and her husband as they try to explain resurrection to a five year-old.
Now after I stopped laughing, I rather marveled at the deductive reasoning at work in my nephew’s mind. A fellow dies, gets wrapped in linen, and then he’s up and walking around again. Must be a mummy. I follow his logic easily because it isn’t foreign to me. I take a set of facts and try to make sense of them – within the limitations of my knowledge. I think it’s safe to say that I’ve “deduced the mummy” more than a few times in my life.
I wonder how often God guffaws at something I’ve deduced? Does He turn to Jesus and chuckle over how I view things? I have grace for my nephew when he’s a terror, I delight in his little voice when he speaks, and I love him regardless. God handily surpasses us in grace and love, so I cherish the hope that we, His children, are a source of delight to Him as well.
May we talk to our Father without guile or self-consciousness today, happy to share what we’ve learned (or think we’ve learned!), and be open to gentle correction or affirmation or a roar of delighted laughter. It’s all love.
