From the Mouths of Babes

Every few days Piper casually says a new word or phrase that she has learned, or makes a comment or asks a question that shows that her 23-month-old brain is putting things together more and more. Her vocabulary expanded over the weekend to include ‘I wuv oo’, which is pretty much good enough to melt my heart every time she says it.

But this morning as I was leaving for work she had another surprise for me.

I told her and Celeste goodbye, and gave each of them a kiss (Christian was fast asleep, his first nap of the day). I started to leave but realized that I didn’t have my phone, and I said as much to Celeste as I began to look around the house for it. I finally found it, and tossed another ‘bye’ as I walked past the kitchen on my way to the door, when Piper called a question to me from the kitchen table.

“Da da phone?”

I stopped and looked back, then smiled and said, “Yes, I found my phone, Piper. Bye bye.” I turned back toward the door.

“Da da…keys?”

Stopped again, I turned back toward her. We had never discussed the things I take inventory of before I leave each day, so she apparently had noticed on her own. Wondering if she’d ask about my wallet next, I pulled my keys from my pocket and jingled them where she could see them.

“Yes, I have my keys sweetheart. I love you! Bye bye!”

This time I hadn’t quite begun to turn before she spoke up.

“Da da … Bible?”

I opened my mouth, closed it again, and I think I cocked my head to the side. I don’t normally take a Bible when I leave for work. I often already have one in the truck, and at the office I can always pull up biblegateway.com if I find a few minutes to get in the Word. But did I want to tell Piper that, no, I didn’t have it because I didn’t ‘need’ it? How would that play out as she is putting together the puzzle pieces of words, language, and things going on around her?

And for heaven’s sake, what caused her to suggest that I take one in the first place?

I only paused a moment before stepping back down the hall, picking up a Bible, and returning to where she could see me holding it up.

“Yes, Piper, I have my Bible. Thank you! Bye bye!”

Folks, don’t tell me God doesn’t speak to us today. He spoke to me through my nearly-2-year-old daughter this morning. And need I tell you that when I got to the office today, I couldn’t help but read a chapter and pray before climbing out of the truck and coming into the office? God is good.