Touching Jesus

My youngest daughter said this morning that it was hard to love Jesus because you couldn’t touch him like she could touch mom or dad or someone here physically.  I cringed, knowing that I probably wasn’t going to be able to offer her an explanation over our breakfast of Pop-Tarts of Christ’s constant presence with us. 

After walking her to school, I opened up God’s Word to the next passage in John that I wanted to explore.  It happened to be John 3: 9-15 where Jesus is conversing with a scholarly Jewish man named Nicodemus, who is confused by Jesus and what he represents.  One of the things Jesus says to him is this: “I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” (verse 12, NIV).

I want my daughter to know that Christ walks with her at every moment and he truly is as tangible in her life as her mom or dad.  But I have to ask myself: Am I believable?  Can I truly teach her about the heavenly wonders when I spend so little time sharing with her about earthly wonders? Now I know that I’m turning this particular passage on its head and reading into it something that isn’t there, but that’s what hit me.  Jesus spoke of earthly things first.  If my daughter can’t trust me in earthly matters, how will she trust me when I attempt to explore the heavenly with her, and ultimately point her to the Spirit that resides in those who believe?

So what do I do, not only for her, but for all those that I care about?  I think I have to begin living life more openly, and exploring more the lives of those around me.  My hope is that as I live this earthly life more deeply and openly that those moments of heavenly clarity will become as “tangible” to my children as they are to me.