HOLDING SPACE FOR THE UNEXPECTED

Parent-teacher evenings came and went this week, but they held a certain timelessness—a moment in which our usually rushed schedules paused long enough for genuine conversation. It was a powerful image: families and teachers not merely scurrying in or out, but intentionally holding space for each other. In these gatherings, real learning takes place, beyond test scores and homework logs. It’s in the exchange of genuine curiosity and shared hopes that we all grow.

In the midst of this reflective atmosphere, I was reminded of a conversation with my seven-year-old daughter, Ruby. Out of nowhere, she declared, “When I think of God, I think of Yoda.” After my initial surprise (and stifled chuckle), I asked her why. She shrugged in that wonderfully casual way that children do and said, “Because God is wise and powerful and tells us to have faith.” It’s easy for a parent to laugh it off and move on, but something about her childlike reverence caught my heart. Out of the mouth of babes indeed.

And you know what? Ruby’s onto something. Yoda, small though he may be, is a vessel of quiet wisdom, a figure who nudges heroes to trust in the Force, or—in the context of faith—to trust in the unseen. The parallels to our understanding of God are more than a little striking: the gentle authority, the encouragement to believe, the invitation to grow beyond our limitations.

As parents, it’s vital that we hold space for these conversations—about God, about life, and about those enchanting comparisons our children make when discovering the spiritual world. Rob Bell, in his book What We Talk About When We Talk About God, encourages us to keep our conversations dynamic and open-ended, reminding us that God is often bigger and more mysterious than we can fathom. So let’s embrace these opportunities at home. Our kids are immersed in Religious Education in the classroom, but those “aha” moments often burst forth at the dinner table or during bedtime chats.

May we lean into Ruby’s simple, mischievous wisdom and hold onto the truths she points us toward: that it’s in the sharing, the questioning, the holding space—even if it’s just a few minutes on a busy evening—that the seeds of faith and understanding truly grow. After all, as Yoda himself might say: much to learn, we still have.

Mr Casimir Douglas

Monday 24th March, 2025