Oh, To Be Four Again

Today, my daughter Ella turned four years old. We spent part of our day traveling to the Mall at Fayetteville to exchange doll houses (I’d bought the wrong one, of course). While there, we managed to pick up a few rooms worth of furniture for this new house. I couldn’t believe the way the manufacturer had paid attention to detail. Ella chose a kitchen set with mock stainless steel appliances including a fridge (with ice and water dispenser), microwave, and little tiny phone.

While playing with the new little mansion, I let Ella in on a secret. Even though it’s a “doll house,” it’s pretty cool, even to boys because it’s so real. I found myself playing right along with Ella in her imaginary world thinking, “Wow, this is so cool.” Then it hit me. I’m a grown-up with a real house, a real refrigerator, and a working automobile in the real driveway. Why am I so enamored with this play world?

I think it’s for the same reason I liked playing “war” as a child and still enjoy managing a “fantasy” baseball team. We like to simulate real life because we can usually tweak things to be a little better than they seem in reality. I noticed that all of the figures in Ella’s dollhouse smile… all the time. Like giants with ultimate control, the miniature family is under our full control, obeying our every whim.

Real life isn’t like that at all. We aren’t ever in control, and it’s a good thing. What kind of world would we create? After all, we don’t know everything and if we did, we’d use our knowledge for corruption and selfish gain. Thankfully, we serve a God who lovingly watches over us. He doesn’t control us like mindless toys, though He is ultimately sovereign over all. He enjoys us tremendously as we choose to give Him praise and bring Him glory. And at the end of life, for those who’ve known Christ as Savior, we’ll go to a mansion prepared in advance for us by the Master Carpenter, Jesus Christ.