A Child's Question, A Divine Redirection

One Sunday, I was teaching the kids about Saul being blinded by the light. The craft was simple but effective: a flip-page showing Saul with an angry face that changed to a blinded one.

As I sat with the kids, a child suddenly asked, “Why is Saul angry?” Her question caught me off guard. I paused, then explained that he was angry with Christians and would even try to "unalive" them because he didn't want them to follow Jesus. It never ceases to amaze me that the kids really do listen. Their questions are often the simplest, yet they lead to the biggest realizations.

The very next day, I was reviewing the draft for my upcoming book, Paul’s Greatest Escape. It was a prescheduled work assignment, and by complete coincidence (or maybe not!), the book was about the very same lesson we had just covered—one out of twenty books I have lined up. As I read my draft, I realized it started with Saul being blinded by the light, but maybe that wasn't the right place to begin. That kid’s question had opened my eyes—no pun intended, or do I? God was using the voice of a little one to redirect my storytelling. I immediately redrafted the book, adding two more pages to set the scene before the blinding.

I've read this story countless times, but revisiting it with the kid's inquiry in mind sparked a new revelation about misplaced passion. Saul's fervor, if not blinded by his own upbringing and zealousness, could have been a great contribution to God's mission. If only his actions and efforts had been redirected, he would have been a force for good. And I find it so interesting that God’s lesson for Saul's spiritual blindness was a literal, physical blindness.

It was a clear confirmation that His plans are higher than mine. Sometimes, He speaks through the very ones we are trying to teach, reminding us to be sensitive to His redirections. They can come as an inquiry from someone younger or less experienced than us, and they are often meant to remove our own blind spots.

Challenging Reflection:

Just as God removed the scales from Saul's eyes, He wants to do the same for us. Pause, take a moment, and ask yourself: What unhealthy patterns have you become so accustomed to that you’re blind to new and healthier ones? Ask the Holy Spirit to renew your mind—including your behaviors, patterns, perspective, and mindset—so you can see things with fresh eyes.