Toddler theology

I was a religion major at Hillsdale college, and I have struggled with most of the common perplexing theological questions. Yet every now and then, the children will surprise me with a new challenge…

It was an ordinary day, waiting at the drive-through at Wendy’s, when Aggie started licking her shoes. “Aggie! Don’t lick your shoes!” (“Lick shoes?” Said Seth and commenced with his own meal of shoe germs in the backseat, and in kindness also gave one of his shoes to Marcus to chew.) “KIDS!” I said. “Do you have any idea how many germs live on the bottom of your shoes?”
Aggie suddenly became very serious. “Germs?”
“YES!” I said, sensing that this time she might actually listen to this lecture. “Your shoes pick up germs when you walk, and if you put them in your mouth they could make you very sick!”
“Ohhhh… do my hands have germs now?”
“Yes, in fact, let’s wash them before we eat.” As I got out the hand sanitizer, Aggie continued to worry about germs in other places. Are germs in my hair? The car? My shorts? The food? My carseat? My books? The dog?
Finally she sighed and asked, “Mommy, why did God make germs?”
That’s a tough one, I thought. “Well, it’s just part of living in a fallen world honey. There won’t be any germs in heaven.”

Her eyes grew wide- “So we can lick our shoes in heaven?!”
“Well…. I guess so….”
Even if I had more to say on that subject, she wouldn’t have heard a word. Her eyes were sparkling as her mind filled with all the great things she can lick in heaven when there are no germs to worry about.

Later that night I heard the girls bickering quietly, then Aggie said loudly “YES you can lick your shoes in heaven Rainy, Mommy said so!” “Aggie, you can NOT!” said Lorraine, obviously taken aback by the impropriety of the idea. Josh looked at me sideways… all I could do was laugh uncontrollably.

Wonder what Jesus would have said to that one? :)