The Words of the Huish Family |
"Mama," said David as he was playing with his lego/duplo blocks. "I'm building an angel."
Natasha looked up and saw that David was assembling the blocks to create a figure that resembled a large person.
"Wow, that's nice," Natasha replied. "Have you ever seen angels?"
"Yes." David's response was confident and convincing. "Especially during the study group."
David discussed angels as naturally as you would discuss squirrels or pigeons, an everyday occurrence.
"What do they look like?" asked Natasha inquisitively.
"Angels are tall men. They wear helmets and they have windows for eyes."
"And what do they do?"
"They look after people. And they work in study groups."
I decided to join in the discussion: "What color are angels?" I asked.
"Red and white," said David.
I continued, "What color is Mama's angel?"
"Blue and green," was David's response. Olivia's angel, apparently, was also blue and green.
David took his completed model angel and balanced it on the window sill, where he usually places his lego creations for onlookers to see. Normally there are dinosaurs or boats or cars lining up along our front window. Today there was an angel, standing at the window as if it protected the boundary between the outside world and our home.
I definitely believe that children are more sensitive to the spiritual reality than adults, a sense which diminishes over time perhaps due to overexposure to a spiritually dull environment. I'm happy that David is able to share about these things freely: Imagine if a teacher told him that angels don't exist and that he shouldn't let his imagination get carried away? Hopefully David's natural spirituality will continue to be nurtured by his environment. Whether he retains this sensitivity or not, it's nice to know that we're being looked out for.