The Rules of God (According to a Seven-Year-Old)

I didn’t think a conversation between seven-year-olds about the science of our universe would alleviate stress from my life. But once again, God worked in a way I wasn’t expecting.

A couple weeks ago I drove some CFNA kids to swim lessons. We brought them to The Magic House for the afternoon. Close to 5pm that day, I was driving them home in the evening rush hour. The children were tired and I thought they had all fallen asleep as I crawled east on I-270. I had a lot on my mind that I had forgotten during the busy day, but now during these moments of silence, I found myself exhausted and increasingly stressed out.

Out of nowhere one of the seven-year-old boys shouted from the back, “Hey Olivia, in five billion years the earth will be purple!” It was such a random idea that I laughed out loud. His statement roused the other kids, and a lively discussion began about the origin and future of the universe.

I sat and listened as they tried to compile the information they had from various TV shows and national geographic books. At the peak of the conversation, one boy was explaining how at the end of time the sun will turn into a red giant and explode. That’s when the other boy emphatically stated, “There are times when you need to listen to science and times when you need to listen to the Bible. You are listening to science, but you need to be listening to the Bible more. God said that He will always protect us, so that means the sun will never turn into a red giant. That’s the rules of God.”

As the kids moved on to sillier topics, I smiled to myself. God has promised to protect us, and that really is an incredible thing. I am not worried about the sun exploding, but I was anxious about things in my own life. The kids reminded me of the most important thing: God loves us and will protect us and give us strength – even if the sun does explode.

I am thankful for CFNA kids and their unique perspectives that remind me of the promises of our gracious God – a beautiful truth that makes me smile.  

By Olivia Nafzger,
CFNA Intern