All Things Large and Small

By Al Horn

My five-year-old granddaughter just recently came to live with us. She is accompanied by her nineteen-month-old brother. Like most children her age, she is curious about things around her. There are some concepts she has already made up her young mind about. There some things she shares a strong belief about even though she doesn't quite understand. Religion is at the top of the list.

She believes in God and Jesus Christ. She couldn't tell you exactly who they are but she is firm in her belief that God is almighty and that nothing is greater than Him. Compare a work of man such as a painting or a song and she is apt to end the conversation with 'God could do it better'. Only a fool would try to argue otherwise. Even if you countered with something like 'God would not be interested in something like that'. She would come back with 'God made everything, large and small'.

Now, if you are one of many people that don't believe in a Supreme Being, whatever they may be called, the rest of this writing may hold little interest for you. You are excused to jump to another page at this point in time...

For those of you that are left, you may or may not find this interesting. I am a grandfather that finds most everything that comes out of a child's mouth as cute, funny, or thought-worthy in some way, shape or form. If reading about somebody's view of a child's take on the world around him or her is not your cup of tea...

How many times have you heard a child utter a sentence that makes no sense to you but to them makes perfect sense? Sometimes, their lack of what we take for granted gives them a unique view of a particular situation. For most adults, their view of reality is firmly ground into them by the environment in which they were raised that some perspectives are as alien as a three-headed fish that is able to walk on dry land. Our minds just won't except that as being possible. To a child that knows there are many different fish, including species that she has never seen before, she could accept such a sight as real.

She looked up at the television the other day and tried to tell me she saw something that couldn't be real. I tried to tell her she was mistaken. This just brought out a conversation that ended in 'well, if God wanted to make one, he could'. How do you argue with that? Still, I sometimes wonder if we could strip away the filters we have so carefully constructed before our eyes; could we see things differently? Could we see people for who they really are? Would we be able to see things as being good or bad? Could our definitions be so simple? Could we possibly maintain our sanity with such an eyes-wide-open look at life?

We all know that life is a complex set of rules defined by society and the physical environment around us. Events such as 9-11 has shown us how much are lives can be altered on a moments notice. Social scientists may see people as a big hive of interacted events. One action shaping the next one on the horizon with small events seemingly having no effect on what is to come next.

Some people will tell you that faith is a huge leap while others say it is a little thing that requires no conscious effort. I feel certain the man upstairs agrees with both ideas. If you don?t believe me, ask my granddaughter. She will be more than happy to set you straight.