When children ask the hard questions, it gives both parent and child the opportunity to learn and grow

3 min read

Just when we think we are kind of figuring things out in life, we can count on a child to ask us a question that makes us feel very unsmart.

Been there?

A dear friend from church pulled me aside the other day and said, “Hey, I need some help.”

As we talked, she told me how her young son, Abner, had just asked her a question about God that kind of stumped her. He asked, “Mommy, who made God?”

You see, this young mother is growing by leaps and bounds in her relationship with God, but like the rest of us, she is filling in the blanks as she goes. She has learned so much about the Lord in the last couple of years, but Abner’s question highlighted something that she hadn’t yet thought about.

When this happens, it can make a parent feel quite inadequate and humbled.

But wait, these can actually be wonderful moments. These sorts of questions present fantastic faith-building opportunities for both parent and child.

As we talked in the entryway at church, my friend and I put our heads together real quick to formulate an answer to little Abner’s very deep question. We thought about Genesis 1:1 and how it says “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” She could go back to her little guy and explain that nobody created God. He is unlike anyone else in the entire universe because he didn’t need anyone to create him. He is the Creator. He has always been. He is infinite and eternal. That’s part of what makes him uniquely God.

Wow.

As Moses said,

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. -Psalm 90:2

But granted, the eternality of God is not an easy concept for any of us, much less a child.

Or maybe not.

Maybe childhood is the perfect time to learn that there is a God and He is so awesome and powerful that He has always existed and always will. Maybe the early and formative years of a child’s life are the best time to begin instilling an appreciation for the otherness and awesomeness of God.

Because the really astonishing thing about the God of the Bible is that not only He is infinite and eternal; he is also personal. This means that even though He is so much greater than us, He is also able to relate to us.

What?

Yes, people are special in God’s creation because God created us “in his own image” (Genesis 1:27). This means that unlike the rest of God’s creation, as human beings, we can interact with God. One Bible scholar explained it this way:

He is far greater than everything he has made, far greater than anything that exists. But he is also personal: he interacts with us as a person, and we can relate to him as persons. We can pray to him, worship him, obey him, and love him, and he can speak to us, rejoice in us, and love us.”

-Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology

Maybe the early and formative years of a child’s life are the best time to begin instilling an appreciation for the otherness and awesomeness of God.

So, Abner, who created God? No one. He has always been and always will be. And amazingly, that same God also happens to know you. He knows your name. He loves you and cares about you and looks forward to the day that you decide to place your faith in his Son, Jesus.

In the meantime, Abner, keep on asking questions. This is how we learn and grow.

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.