What "Sorry" means to a child

As I stepped out of the bathroom, Beth was sitting on the floor hard at work with her crayons and paper. On closer inspection, I discovered to my horror that one of those sheets of paper was THE fax I'd been planning to send to a bank to terminate an overdraft facility I'd been billed for (and which I don't use).

I was so angry I launched into a how-could-you-do-this tirade at the top of my voice, lowering it gradually for effect as I stared my preschooler in the eye. She started melting and sobbing, to which I hardened my heart and asked, "What are you supposed to DO? What must you SAY?"

"Sorry Mummy," she choked. And burst into tears again.

"I want Mummy....!" she wailed, which rather puzzled me; I thought I'd misheard - surely she should be wanting Daddy instead?

"I want Mummy....!" she went again, tears streaming down her face.

"Come here," said I, opening wide the maternal arms. She came, and continued sobbing into my T-shirt as we hugged.

"Mummy still loves you. It's okay. Stop crying now."

At that moment, I remarked to my husband, "It's interesting that at this age, children still want to reconcile with their parents even after doing wrong. A few more years and she might be rebellious and recalcitrant about it."

My husband agreed that yes, this was indeed a moment to be treasured.

I continued as an epiphany struck me.

"Isn't this rather like our relationship with God? When we are close to Him and we do something wrong, we feel bad about it and want to reconcile with Him. But when we are not walking with Him and we do something wrong, we try to hide from Him, as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden."

A moment with a child turned into an eye-opener about my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

Wow.

Thank you God.