Could God be a 4 year old boy?

I am a father of 6 boys ages 3,4,6,13,21 and 25. By no means do I have it all figured out! I have been raising kids since the age of 18 and I am still learning as I go. Every one of my children is as unique and different an individual as you could imagine. They are all night and day from one and other. As much as they are each their own special mold, there is one age that they all most resembled one and other, the age of 4. At 4 years old each boy has been a carbon copy of the other. Here are a few things I have learned about 4 year old boys along the way.

No mater how loud or how quiet you speak they will hear it if they want to.
Always check their pockets before you put their cloths into the wash.
They will eat anything once.
Never let them go outside unattended before church.
No small animal is safe with a 4 year old boy.
You can never satisfy the curiosity of a 4 year old.
Baseball, basketball, football and hockey are all outside games.
There is never enough food in the house.
4 year olds shoes are made from inferior material.
Lizard tails only come off by accident.
A 4 year old can get tooth paste out of a tube that a 1000 pound gorilla couldn’t
It is a physical impossibility for a 4 year old to pass a puddle without ascertaining its exact depth.
4 year olds can smell candy from a mile away.
4 is much too old to be taking naps.

They can be a lot of fun at that age and yet such a pain in the butt. I have learned so much over the years from my 4 year olds and it amazes me the parallel between the lessons I have learned from them and the lessons that the bible teaches us about the love of God. Unconditional love, acceptance, forgiveness, trust, lack of fear and flattery through imitation are just a few of the things that I can name off the top of my head.

God loves us unconditionally and proved it even though he didn’t have to. He sent us his son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. He made the ultimate sacrifice for us! It that is not unconditional love then I don’t know what is. 4 year olds, they are mad when you send them to bed but are all smiles and I love you when they wake up.

Acceptance by God is pretty easy to see. Ephesians 1: 4-5 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, make us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved” God accepts us no matter what we have done. We are his children. 4 year olds never judge us for what we are or are not, in the eyes of a child we are perfect.

Forgiveness from God is yours for the asking. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Forgiveness from a 4 year old is also yours for the asking and in my 25 years of parenting has never been denied.

God trusts us to carry out good works in his name. Ephesians 1:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. We were placed on this earth to glorify God. A 4 year old will trust us to care, feed and cloth them without ever giving it a 2nd thought.

The bible teaches us that with Gods love we have nothing to fear. Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” As a rule, 4 year olds are fearless! It is the age that they are fearless to a fault! If by chance you find something that they do fear, dad is the “go to guy” and can handle pretty much anything.

Flattery through imitation. Genesis 1:26-27 “Then God said, Lets us make mankind in our image, in our likeness… So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” I don’t know a single 4 year old that doesn’t imitate his dad so you had better be careful what kind of example you are setting for your children!