God to a Child

How can a parent introduce God to a child?

Sometimes, I'm bothered by how little my son knows about God. Not in the Biblical sense of course but in a "Who is God?" and "Why is He so angry if I play with my food?" way.

I guess it doesn't help that the mother is not exacly religious but who ever said religion and faith are the same? One has to do with practices and obedience and the other with trust and belief. And it really doesn't help that the mother also has so many issues she hasn't had time to sort out yet.

I've grown up to believe that one is entitled to believe in the God he or she chooses to believe in. What matters in the end is how we choose to live our lives and the decisions that we make along the way.

But that's diverting too much, how can I introduce God without scaring the crap out of my son and confusing him more?

I decided on the multimedia approach. I convinced him to watch Flying House with me. Though he was admitedly amazed by the technology of the house, he was a bit distraught with kids not being able to go home after their adventure in time traveling.

I decided to sincerely talk to him about God. At this point, the only thing that probably makes sense to him is that God gives him food to eat and so he mustn't play or throw it away. God will get angry if he hurts someone. He shouldn't hurt animals or destroy plants. And for a three-year-old that's probably more than enough.

Though I look forward to more conversations about God in the future I must endure the endless questions about "why is baby Jesus in a manger and not in a proper house," "why does he have animals in his room (the donkey, sheeps, and camels)," "why are there three grandfathers (the wise men) visiting the baby," etc.

In the long run, I want him to discover God in the way we all discover God, though experiences (painful or not) and hopefully still ask good ol' mom to help him sort things out.