(You can read or listen. Because I like options.)
In conversations with young children, context is key. The other day my four year-old said, “Mom, we get a caterpillar, put him in a jar and he make a raccoon and then be a butterfly?” Thank goodness for context or I would have had no idea he meant “cocoon” instead of “raccoon”. A couple nights ago my three year-old was crying that she couldn’t find her ipad. This seemed odd since she doesn’t own an ipad. After some questions about what exactly she wanted, it became clear what she was looking for was her Magna Doodle.
I have learned that in reading the Bible, context is important there, too! There is a beautiful richness is learning about the time, place and culture of the Bible that adds to our understanding. It’s also important to see each verse and chapter and book as part of the whole story of God’s faithfulness to us. Concepts that can be difficult to understand on their own can become more clear when we have the appropriate context. It can require a greater time commitment to see it all with the right perspective, but just like in working to understand what our children are trying to communicate, I have found that the effort is always worth it.