historic reference: My family of 5 went to Disney World 4 years ago.
Samuel, my 7 year old son, and I have an evening ritual. I send him upstairs 30 minutes before lights out to brush his teeth and prepare for bed. Once he is settled in, he calls for me to come. In turn, I will smile and ignore him. After 2 or 3 attempts, I will hear his feet hit the floor as he runs to the stairs to make sure I am coming. I generally act frustrated for him getting out of bed which is punishable with a massive tickling. (note: I’ve found that it is always best to get children really riled up before they are expected to be quiet and go to sleep – ha.) Once the tickle fight ends, we get under the covers together and read his NIVR Bible for 15 minutes or so discussing what we read along the way. Next, I ask him if there is anything specific that I can pray about for him. Then we pray together in turn. And finally, I hold him close, kiss him goodnight and leave the room.
Samuel continually amazes me with his natural understanding of the practical relevance of the Bible stories we read. So, upon reading the account of Solomon’s opportunity to have one wish fulfilled and requesting wisdom, I was excited to get Samuel’s insight. Here’s how that conversation went:
Daddy-O: “Wow, that was a cool story wasn’t it Rocketboy?”
Samuel: “Uh-hu”
Daddy-O: “Solomon could have asked God for anything… “
Samuel: “…ya, and God wud’vn gived it to ‘em.”
Daddy-O: “What was it that Solomon asked for?”
Samuel: “Wisdom to rule the people right.”
Daddy-O: “I wonder if I would have asked for something like that or something for myself.”
Samuel: “Well, God gave him wisdom and everything else he could have wanted anyway.”
Daddy-O: “Interesting. What would you ask for if God gave you one wish?”
Samuel: (without hesitation) “I would ask to go to Disney World because those were the best 3 days of my life.”
Our conversation ended with smiles and laughter. We prayed and Samuel drifted off to sleep. As I headed back downstairs to read for a while, I began to process the events of the night. I thought that I should perhaps be disappointed with Samuel’s one wish from God…
…instead, I began making plans for a family trip to Disney World.