Bad guys, happy guys and the Bible

For the past year, J has been very fond of any story, movie, television show, or imaginative play involving bad guys and "happy" (good) guys. Although we've read the Bible almost everyday since he was about 1, it wasn't until recently that he's really become interested in the stories. Daniel and the Lion's Den, Samson, and Jonah and the Big Fish have been favorites since day 1. Now, the story of the crucifixion, Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, David and Goliath, and Moses have become more interesting, and we read them several times a day in addition to the regular two or three stories we read daily. J can retell many of the stories (although sometimes he uses bears or pirates as the characters since he can't remember all the proper names).

This past week J has been interested in the story of Adam and Eve and, more particularly, Satan. He comprehends that Satan is "bad" and tricked Eve, and thus Adam, into eating the apple. But the thought that Satan "exists" in the world today is a foreign idea to J. When we talk about Satan, he says "Satan is in the book Mommy, not here in our house. Or even out there" (in the yard/neighborhood). I always respond with "sure he is. He makes people do bad things." J is adamant that there are no bad people around here. I've been thinking about how to convince him that Satan is very much real and very much present in the world around us.

And then I realized I don't have to. In his short 3.5 years, J hasn't come across anyone or anything bad. He is loved by his family and friends, has a happy, stable homelife, and has never seen or been on the receiving end of anything unkind. His world starts in our house and extends as far away as where my parents live (half an hour from our house). He thinks they live "far away". My parent's house and Florida could be the same place. They're both "far away".

Wars around the globe. Murder. Child abuse. He neither sees, nor hears about these events. And he doesn't need to know. There are far too many children (and adults), who see the workings of Satan every.single.day. of their lives. If I could keep J in a bubble his whole life, and blow and direct the bubble toward only the good, fun, happy, successful things to experience, I would do it in a heartbeat. Yeah, 'you have to know the bad to know the good'. That's fine for me, but not for my baby.

You know what? You're right, J. Satan only exists as a snake in the Bible. For now. And when you're a little older, a little wiser in the ways of the world, we'll talk. For today, and tomorrow, and maybe even for the next few years: your world is perfect. I'll keep watch with my mommy powers, making sure no bad comes to you. Someday you'll have to put on your own armor and fight your own fight against Satan and the world.

But today? Today, let's play superheroes and save the world.