“How did God make people,” Sophie asked.

Without giving it a second thought, “He took dirt from the ground and formed man. And then He blew the breath of life into his nostrils,” I explained.  “But He said that it wasn’t good for man to be alone. So he made him a helper and called her woman because He put the man to sleep and made her from his rib.  And then He named them Adam and Eve.”

With wide-eyed wonder she soaked up every word, commented between my pauses, and asked more questions. As long as she would allow, I explained as best I could on a three-year-old level the story of the fall.

“God wanted someone who would choose to worship Him. The angels were created to worship Him and that’s what they did.  Except the devil didn’t want to worship Him. So God kicked him out of Heaven and that’s how he became the devil.  He wanted to trick Adam and Eve so they would not worship God either.”

“He is so bad,” she said.

“Yes he is, Sophie. God put Adam and Eve in the beautiful garden that He created called Eden. They had everything they needed and ate fruit from the trees. And God walked with them each day.  But God gave them one rule.  He told them they could not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  And do you know what the devil did?”

She shook her head.  Her eyes begged for more.

“He turned himself into a snake and tried to trick Eve into eating the fruit from that tree. He told her God probably did not mean what He said.  And Eve listened to him. She ate the fruit and then she got Adam to eat it, too.  But when they ate it, they were ashamed of what they did and they ran and hid from God.  They had disobeyed God and now they knew what evil was.  They were naked in the garden but they did not feel ashamed until they sinned.  Using leaves and twigs they tried to make something to cover themselves.  But God knew what they did.  And He knew where they were but He still called for them.”

I went on to explain that God asked them about eating the fruit.  “And do you know what they did,” I asked Sophie.  “Adam pointed right to Eve and said that it was the woman that He had made.  And then Eve pointed right to the snake that God had also made.  The snake was very bad to trick Eve, but they still should’ve been sorry for what they did.”

Never for one moment did I wonder if Sophie was getting anything from this lesson. It just naturally flowed.  I told her that God had to give Adam and Eve a punishment. “He had given them everything they needed but now Adam would have to work the ground with sweat and hard work for his food to provide for his family.  And Eve would have the children and that’s how they would have a family.

“God still took care of them but this was how He chose to punish them.”

Shaking her head ever so slightly, Sophie said slowly, “THAT is so. . .

. . .FAIR!”

“Yes it is, Sophie.  Yes it is!”

Astounded by God’s working at that very moment, I shared with Sophie how God made a plan for man even though we would all be born into sin. I told her once again of the sacrifice Jesus made for her us and that because of that, we can be forgiven.  We can have His Spirit live in us and be with us and we can one day join Jesus in Heaven.

She smiled once again and shook her head in amazement.  “THAT is AWESOME!”

“Yes it is, Sophie. Yes it is!”


Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:3