“Why can’t I see God?” Joy asked one night at bedtime. “Is He real or pretend?” 

Joy had also learned that people have first names and last names, so she added, “Does God have a last name?”

Mom assured Joy that God was definitely real, not make-believe like the fairy godmothers or talking mice or giants in the stories they read together. 

Mom also said that God doesn’t have a last name, but He does have many names that tell us more about Him. These names can be found in the Bible and in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

Mom and Joy began to think about other names they used for God. They remembered a prayer they said at bedtime, which Joy knew by heart:

Father-Mother God, 
Loving me,—
Guard me when I sleep; 
Guide my little feet 
Up to Thee. 
(Mary Baker Eddy, Poems, p. 69) 

This prayer includes the name Father-Mother, followed by “God, loving me.” Mom told Joy that another special name for God is Love and that at that moment and every moment, God was loving her.

Joy knew love was real even though she couldn’t see it with her eyes. One of her favorite people in the whole world was her cousin, Gabrielle, who had recently moved far away to another country. Mom reminded Joy that she didn’t have to see Gabrielle with her eyes or hug her with her arms to love her or feel loved by her. So, she could feel divine Love’s presence and know Love was real, even if she couldn’t see it.

With these happy thoughts, Joy fell asleep.

For a few days, Joy didn’t ask any more questions about God. But then one morning Joy really needed to understand that God was real and was loving her and taking care of her. She stumbled out of bed, crying, tugging on her ear, and saying that it hurt. Her dad and mom started to pray and to talk to her about God’s love.

Joy climbed into the rocking chair with Mom, and Mom began singing favorite hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal. 

Soon they found a new hymn they had never sung together before. It began by using the name Father for God: “Father, we Thy loving children / Lift our hearts in joy today.” And a little later on, the hymn even mentioned ears: “Eager ears, expectant, joyful, / Ready for Thy right commands” (Elizabeth C. Adams, No. 58, © CSBD).

As Joy’s mom sang and prayed, she heard God tell her that He is speaking to all of His precious children every minute and in words that are just right for their ears. And Joy also heard a “right command” from God. She stopped crying, closed her eyes, and became very still. Then, she looked up and softly said, “Mama, God loves all the tiny babies. And He loves the mamas and the daddies, too.” 

She sat quietly for another few minutes; then she touched her ear and said, “Doesn’t hurt, Mama.” 

Joy was healed! They ran downstairs to have breakfast.

Now Joy really knows that God is Love and God is real. And she also knows that whenever she has a question about God, God will always answer it.