Why Can't I See Him?

We talk about God quite a bit in our house.  I love the hearts that my boys have for Him; I love that they get excited about learning bible verses, and talking about heaven and Jesus.  I love that when I say, "Grab your bible and let's read a story", their faces light up, and they drop whatever they're doing to pile onto the couch.  I love how innocently and wholeheartedly they believe in Him.  They long to know about Him, and their minds meditate on Him.  We were getting into the car today and my 5 year old asked me, "Mommy, why can't we see God?" 
It's a question I'm sure just about every child who is taught about God asks;  I'm sure I probably asked my parents when I was his age...it caught me off guard though.  I started shuffling through the Sunday School answers in my mind and quickly sited the time when Moses asked God to show him His glory.  God answered him in Exodus 33:19-20 saying, "'I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.  I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.  But,' He said, 'you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.'" So then God places Moses in the cleft of a rock, covered him as He passed by and only allowed him to see His back. 
"You see," I said to Micah, "we, as humans, can't handle God's glory...it's too great for us.  We can't see Him here on earth, but someday we will see Him in heaven."
As with everything we talk about, more questions followed; we moved on to the topic of Jesus and how He is in heaven, and again he asked, "Why can't I see Him?"
So the topic of faith came about...these kids have some serious questions...and as we talked through faith, and how faith is believing in something we can't see, it dawned on me:  I can see God.  No, I can't physically see His face, but He is everywhere.  His glory fills creation, and if our eyes are open to it, He will reveal it to us.  Granted, it is only a fraction of the glory that fills heaven, but as I looked into the wide, innocent eyes of my child...I caught a glimpse of it. 
I love talking to my boys about God.  I love to hear them pray and thank Jesus for every good thing in our lives...I love to hear them ask Him to keep their daddy safe while he flies.  I love watching their little minds formulate questions, and I love to be the one they ask them to.  I love that my parents talked to me about God, and I love the thought that someday my grandchildren will talk to my kids about Him. 

My Sunday School answer was true...the fullness of God's goodness and glory is too much for us to handle here on earth;  Jesus did walk on the earth, but, it's true, we can't "see" Him today...faith is the key.  When we have faith, God begins to reveal Himself to us...the parts we can handle...and our hope rests in the knowledge that someday we will see Him and be able to take in the fullness of Him.  In all of that, you might think it would be too much for a 5 year old to understand, but it's not;  Micah gets it.  That's why when the disciples were asking Jesus, in Matthew 18:1, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?", Jesus says in verses 3-4, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."  It's all about innocence;  about faith without needing to understand every little thing.  It's not about who is greatest, who has the most worldly knowledge, or who lives in the biggest house;  it's about having the heart of my 5 year old who meditates on God, asks questions, and simply believes and gets that God is real.  When we let go of our need to see everything, to understand everything, and to control everything, and when we strip away our worldly "maturity" and open our hearts to innocence, we can see that God's glory is all around.  Though we can't "see Him", creation proclaims His existence;  it's humbling, and I feel extremely privileged to see it through the eyes of my 5 year old son.  Whatever is weighing you down today, or whatever is standing in the way of you seeing God, let go of it...step out in faith and open your heart like a child;  God, the Father of all creation, is waiting to show Himself to you.