Little Ears Are Listening and Learning!

Recently, our little guy and I went to the beach.  He's almost three and he loves to introduce himself to "new friends" (strangers).  "What's your name?", he asks. We're working on the appropriate sequence of an introduction, whereby you introduce yourself first, then inquire of the "new friend's" name. Most of the time, though, it goes like this, "What's your name?" Then I remind him to introduce himself first.  Well, this particular morning, we had a departure from the usual script. 


Here's how it went:


I had parked the car and saw an adorable little family approaching.  Husband, wife and a toddler boy in a stroller.  Realizing I had been smiling at them and thinking of my own son, who was still in the car, I felt the need to say hello and explain that we have a little one their guy's age, just so they don't think I am totally weird for smiling at them too long.  So I did, and they stopped and waited to meet my little guy.  True to form, my little guy gets out of the car and says, "What's your name?"  Before I can remind him to introduce himself first, our "new friend" says, "John."  Below is their exchange.


My little guy: "Oh, you're St. John!"
John (amused): "No, it didn't go very well for him."
My little guy: " Yes, you're John the Baptist!"
Then, just to be clear, "You're John who baptized Jesus!"


Now, our son has two Uncle Johns and must have met another John along the way, but this particular "new friend" named John reminded him of the illustration of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River.  This illustration accompanies the adapted rendition, titled, "John Baptizes Jesus", found in his, The Baby Bible Storybook for Boys.  It's even funnier that I looked it up to reference here, and our "new friend" does look very much like the illustration here of John the Baptist!  In addition, the illustration is of John baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River and the picture looks like a beach scene and we ran into this John at the beach, so I can totally see where our little guy was coming from!

I share this because I hope it makes you smile, but also to encourage you to keep imparting the word of God upon your children's hearts and minds, at all ages.  Even the littlest of ears are listening, their minds are relating and their sweet little hearts are loving it! 




“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 19Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 20Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. - Deuteronomy 11:18-20, NLT