A Simple Child of God

On a quiet holiday weekend, just mom and I, there’s really not much to do. Together, we sometimes both enjoy a television show (especially one with children or animals). Yesterday we watched a 2-hour episode of Little House on the Prairie and, as I’ve described here in the past, the show often tells stories of great faith and wisdom. It’s one of a few series where prayer was a regular part of the show. This episode, in particular, had prayer as its primary focus:

Charles Engles, after 3 girls, finally had a son, and he was very happy. But the baby proved sickly, and within days the situation grew dire. Mom and dad asked the girls to pray for their new brother. Kneeling at her bedside that night, however, young Laura didn’t mention the boy, and her older sister, Mary, asked her why. Laura replied that dad was paying so much attention to him that “pa’s probably praying more than enough for all of us,” besides, “he doesn’t really care about us anymore. All he thinks about is his son.” Mary threatens to tell their parents what Laura had said, but like a good sister she doesn’t.

The son soon died.

Laura was distraught for weeks over the loss, and her self-perceived role in it. She went to her pastor and asked him: “Your sermon today said God can make all things possible. How can you get a miracle? How do you pray hard enough?” The pastor thought and then answered: “God doesn’t guarantee miracles, Laura, but I’ve found that the closer you are to God, the more likely He is to listen.” Laura smiled at that answer, and went off to play.

That night Laura is shown running away from home. She travels off to a high cliff, and begins climbing until she gets to the top. There she innocently prays: “God, I came up here so I could be closer to you, so you could hear me better. Lord, my father needs a son, like you had God. I was thinking, you already have a son, and so maybe you’d like a daughter, like me. And then you could send my brother back to pa, and then you’d both be happy. Please, Lord.”

Meanwhile, Charles read the note that his daughter had left on the fireplace mantle, and hears the whole story from her older sister. He sets out to search for young Laura, with the help of his neighbor Mr. Edwards. They don’t know where to begin.

The next morning, at the top of the cliff, Laura meets a kindly man. He asks her what she’s doing so high up and so far away. She tells him she’s on a trip, but says “I’m not sure where I’m going yet.” He offers her food for the journey, and while he’s eating he starts talking aloud to God. Young Laura is astounded: “God talks to you? I talked to him last night but nothing happened.” The man tells her, “Well, you have to be patient. You know God has lots of children to listen to; he’s a busy man” As they sit and chat, the man makes Laura a wooden cross, and carves her name into it. Unfortunately, later while getting water, she drops it and it is lost.

After she gets more comfortable with him, Laura tells the man what she asked of God, and why. “I guess it’s okay for me to tell you, since you know God so well.” Laura tells him she’s worried because God is not answering her prayer, perhaps it’s because she did such a bad thing. Maybe God doesn’t like her anymore. The man replies that he’s sure that isn’t true. “Even if you do bad things, like everyone does sometimes, you can do good things to make things right with God, good things for others. That makes God happy, you know, because he’s so sad sometimes because people ignore one another.”

Laura walks away to go and pray some more. The man looks up toward heaven and says: “A child like that makes it all worthwhile, doesn’t it.”

Back at the search party, Charles and Mr. Edwards grow weary. They don’t know where to look next. Then they stop to water the horses, and Charles spots a stick floating down the stream. It’s the wooden cross with the word “Laura” carved into it. He smiles and says a prayer of thanks. “It’s her. I know it,” he says. “Let’s look upstream.”

Laura and her new-found friend continue to talk. “I just don’t understand. I prayed as hard as I could. Maybe he can’t forgive me.” “No, he’s very forgiving. He has to be or else he’d have no one to talk to!” Laura thinks that maybe he still isn’t hearing her, and perhaps she needs to go to a higher mountain, so she can get closer to him. As she starts to gather her things the man says: “Wait! Maybe we just need to get his attention better. Let’s build a great big fire, one he can’t fail to see. That’ll get his attention.” And so they set about to gather wood for a fire.

The fire burns brightly, and the man and Laura comment that surely God will see this. Down in the valley, Charles and Mr. Edwards see smoke coming from the top of the nearby cliff, and they start up.

Laura is praying again, “Please God, answer me.” Then in the distance she hears: “Laura!” It is her father calling out her name. The man sitting near her says: “He has answered your prayer; he sent you your pa.” “But it’s not what I prayed for,” she says. “Pa needs a son.” “No child, your pa wants and needs you, and God sent him here. How else would your pa have found you?”

“How can I be sure,” Laura asks. “I know,” he replies, “because He has told me so.” And Laura smiles.

Her pa and Mr. Edwards come up, and there are lots of hugs, kisses, and words of love. It is a happy ending. Then Laura tells her pa about her friend, the one who can talk to God, but when she goes to find him, he is gone. Charles and Mr. Edwards look at one another, wondering if she had made up the story. Then Charles looks down in his hand --- and sees the cross.

Well, I don’t have to explain the morals and implications to you. The story tells these things very well on its own. No commentary is needed.

Considering all the television shows being produced today, I’m happy we can still turn to these old shows, these shows which are not just mindless entertainment, but which also exist to teach and reaffirm important things in life, and the most important Being in life. We can go back and look at these old shows and perhaps for a time feel good about things, and maybe we could pray that God inspires someone, somewhere, to use these shows as a template for future shows. I don’t have great expectations of this happening though, but who knows? --- “Be patient. You know God has lots of children to listen to.”

And so although I read in this morning’s Wall Street Journal a review of Richard Dawkin’s new book, in which he “explains” that: “spontaneous creation from nothing is possible,” I wonder if that spontaneous event can answer a prayer. I have read and studied many things of science, but if it takes being a simple, naïve child to believe in God, then that is what I wish to be.