WHAT Are You Doing, Child?

Brenda  was in a hurry so she had intended to just quickly run the vacuum over the living room floor before getting on with other things, but Marissa had her dolls spread out all over the carpet and what she was saying to them seemed so intriguing that Brenda quietly busied herself with rearranging the flowers in the vases and polishing the furniture while she unobtrusively tried to figure out what was going on in her little girl’s mind.

It seemed so odd that a child would pick up a doll, whisper in its' ear, then sometimes put it back down exactly where it had been, and other times get it to do something which was the more normal way of playing.
When Marissa put one of the numerous ‘Barbie’s’ into a play car, and a “Ken” doll into another, and made them crash, Brenda thought it was time to intervene.
“What in the world are you doing?” she asked.
Marissa sighed a big, exaggerated sigh. “I told Barbie not to be in such a hurry. All morning I tried to get her to slow down, but she wouldn't listen to me.”
Oh, oh, Brenda thought, She’s imitating me. But Marissa wasn't done explaining.  She picked up Barbie and cradled her in her hands.
“That’s okay, Barbie. You’ll be in the hospital for three years, but I’ll take care of you.”
“What happened?” Brenda asked, carefully trying not to smile.
“She broke her leg. I told her not to go so fast, but she wouldn't listen. I knew Ken would be coming by right now, and he was thinking about, well, about his little boy who got a bee sting so wasn't watching too carefully.”
     She picked Barbie up and whispered into her ear. “There, there, don’t cry.”
Marissa shook her head mournfully. “She won’t listen to me. All she thinks about is everything she wanted to get done, but can’t with her leg all busted up.”
Brenda got a funny look on her face. She got on her knees and faced her little girl.
“Where did you get the idea to whisper to your dolls like that,” she asked softly.
Marissa looked surprised that she wouldn't know.

“The preacher, of course! He told us God talks to us.”
She reached over to two ‘child’ dolls. “ Don’t rip the coloring book apart! There is another one in the cupboard.

See! They won’t listen, either!”
Marissa sighed rather woefully for such a little girl. “The preacher-man said last night “I will guide you with my eye”. I figured he was talking about God. She swept her hand over all the dolls and paraphernalia scattered everywhere. “He can see what all of us are doing, can’t He?”
Brenda nodded.
“So He knows what we ought and ought not to do. I knew Barbie shouldn’t go for coffee right then,” and she shrugged her little shoulders, “But what can a person do?”
Brenda’s face was a study. She wasn't so sure she liked her little girl playing that she was God but it sure gave her, as a Mommy, food for thought. You know, Marissa is right. God is all seeing. He knows the options we will face even before we rise in the morning, and wants to help us make the right choices. I think it would be a good idea if I would ask Him for direction just a little more often.
“Okay, let’s get everything picked up, so Mommy can vacuum the floor. Then you can play again.”
“Okay, and this time I hope Barbie will listen to me!”

“I do to,” Brenda grinned.bookstore.iuniverse.com/ - United State