Your daughter’s comments, and often the comments of other children, are good examples of how we often interpret something literally and miss the actual meaning. We may take something literally when it is meant to be metaphorical or visa versa. The Biblical word “heart,” I’ve been told, has different overtones than our current meaning of heart.

When I think of the “heat” that has been generated over Biblical translations and the “inerrancy” of the Bible, these examples are humbling. The Bible is the Word of God. I do believe that. We may say it is “inspired” or “inerrant” or whatever we choose to say. But that doesn’t mean that our interpretations are correct or inerrant.