My jaw dropped open. "Umm... excuse me?"
"Why does God send people to Hell? I mean, people always say He loves everybody and stuff, so why does He send people to Hell?"
I stared back at the wide-eyed look of innocent confusion on her face. It struck me that this was not some ploy to get out of doing her math homework--this child truly wanted me to address the conflicting notions of a God of endless love who would also supposedly cast anyone of his choosing into the pit of eternal darkness.
No wonder she was struggling to focus on finding the perimeter of Farmer John's carrot patch.
These are the moments that no amount of formal training can prepare you for. I have yet to see "Sharing the Gospel with 10-year-olds" on a single syllabus as a discussion topic in any of my numerous education courses. And seeing that I'm in my last semester of such classes, it isn't looking too hopeful. Well, I suppose the best lessons are seldom anticipated (at least, that's what a fortune cookie told me once) so I plopped down on the floor next to her and attempted to explain that God doesn't "send people to Hell," but rather he sent Jesus so we don't ever have to be away from him. She proceeded to shower me with a slew of surprisingly thought-provoking questions:
"Who made God?"
"If he loves us so much, why doesn't he ever come visit us?"
"Why do you talk to God but I don't?"
"When you go home and I go home, how does God choose who he listens to?"
"If Jesus is God's son, is Mother Nature God's daughter?"
And all this from a child who struggles on a daily basis to figure out where to write her name on her paper.
We all have deficits. But one thing I know is true: none of us are lacking in a desire for the Gospel. This sweet girl struggles through five math problems probably as much as I would struggle through running a marathon, but she still craves to know a Truth that none of our minds can fully comprehend. Job seemed to be on the same page:
"Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know." (Job 42:3)
I'm a senior education student and am currently interning in a fourth grade classroom before student teaching in the fall. My teaching career hasn't even started yet, but I can already tell that I will never stop being a student. There is SO MUCH to learn. You know when you go to Chick-Fil-A and order an 8 piece nugget meal, but then you open the box and you discover they actually gave you 9 nuggets? Best day ever, right?!? Those extra nuggets are unexpected, but such a wonderful blessing! I'm slowly discovering that teaching is pretty similar to eating at Chick-Fil-A (I could get creative with this comparison, but this post is already long so I'll just get to the point and let your imagination run wild on its own). Each day my students open my eyes to something totally unanticipated that immensely blesses my heart. And today was no different.
Extra Nugget #1
We are never too young for the Gospel.
