Why is it always God, God, God?

About a week ago I tried to institute a new family tradition: communal Bible story reading followed by circle prayer time before night-nights.  My kids have outgrown their previous, more baby-ish routines, and it's gotten a little too hectic trying to do one routine with each kid, soooooo...this is the new plan.  For now.  We'll see how it goes.

Any-who, we were a few days into this plan, all four of us snuggled on the couch reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible (which I highly recommend), when my four-year-old son sighed and said:

"Mom, why is it always God, God, God?"  (Can't you just hear the exasperation in his voice?)

His question was completely straight-faced, but my husband and I couldn't help ourselves: we burst out laughing.  He laughed along with us but repeated himself, insistent:

"I mean, all over this book, it's God this and God that.  Where are all the superheroes?"

We answered in between our chuckles:

"It's the Bible - it's God's book.  So of course, God will be all over it."

"What do you mean, 'where are the superheroes?'  This whole book is full of superheroes!"

(And on and on....)

We laughed our way into bed, making comments to ourselves about the funny things kids say and so on.

But yet, the question has haunted me.  I can't get it out of my mind.

Why is it always God,  God, God?

You see, my son begs to read this Bible every night.  He sits enraptured, completely engrossed as I read the stories of God's redemption plan. 

Let me paint you a picture: he's a four-year-old who never stops moving, and yet, he sits perfectly still - and quiet, I might add - all the way to the end of the story.  (My two-year-old still climbs all over me during the process, but that's a different story.)

So why, when he begs for it, even asks me awesome questions each night when I'm finished reading, does he also get tired of the story and want to make it go away?

It's like a person who is holding out one arm, palm faced up and out in a "don't come near me" manner, while the other arm is bent at the elbow, its hand waving you closer.

This is the picture I've had as my son's question has echoed in my mind all week.

Another question - my own - follows: "why do we do that?  why do we push and pull against God like that?"

Because we all do it, don't we?  We all want Him, want His presence, His fruit, His glory, yet we also push Him away.  We make choices that place ourselves first, not Him.  We whine and complain when He asks us to do the hard things.  We get bored with Him, wanting something more exciting, like ______ (insert your distraction of choice...mine can sometimes be as simple as mind-numbing TV, honestly).

So I've been thinking about this all week, wondering if I want Him as much as I think I do.

But I've also been thinking about the way Gunnar keeps asking, and we keep reading, and he keeps listening.

No matter what we do or don't do, you see, it is always God, God, God. 

And we'll never stop hungering for that, will we?

Linking up with Soli Deo Gloria - check it out!  There are some real treasures over at Jen's place.