Have a Chat

“Mimi, could we have a chat?” It was one of my four year old granddaughter’s several delaying tactics when I was putting her to bed. Nevertheless, I said “Yes”, and turned around to sit on the side of her bed. “What would you like to chat about?” she asked. I answered, “Maybe you could choose a subject.” After a moment of thought she said, “I’d like to talk about the animals who live in the ocean.”

And so, we did talk from what little I knew, to the quite a bit that she knew, about whales and sharks and dolphins for a few more minutes until she thought she was ready to fall asleep, and I turned out the light and left.

The memory of that chat stayed with me as a sweet encounter without strings attached, and I was grateful to God for his creatures of the sea that my granddaughter had never actually seen but only imagined from stories and pictures.

Sometimes while praying in the early morning I think that God Himself loves a chat with us about things we have never actually seen, but have read about in the

Bible. A chat is perhaps the simplest form of sharing ourselves with another. Ideally a chat carries no “baggage” that separates, but only shares thoughts.

“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what He has promised” (Genesis 18:17) And so began the conversation between Abraham and the Lord concerning the fate of Sodom , and particularly the fate of Lot, the nephew of Abraham. It was a chat between unequal friends, and several millennia later we visualize it and re-read it many times.

I believe that God loves to chat with His creatures. He loves to be invited to chat, to engage in conversation with one who believes in Him and even loves Him: “The disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ He answered, “because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.’” (Matt. 13:11-13)

Not everyone is willing to chat with God, but for those who choose Him, not only the truth about whales and dolphins, but the very secrets of our holy God can be shared. I believe He is waiting to chat.

Love in Him, Prue