What Do We Tell Our Kids About G-d?

I am asking my kids this morning what they think about G-d.  Is He just waiting to grant our wishes or is there more to it.  Here are some responses:

17 year old-He is a guide for us and He doesn't always give us the answer we want because it doesn't fit into His plan.

13 year old-He is selective about what He allows us to have/how He answers us.

10 year old-I think He can grant every wish if He thinks its important.  If He doesn't give us what we want it may be because G-d thinks we will spend to much time with it and forget about what's important.

8 year old-He gives us what we want.  If He doesn't maybe He is upset with us.

They all say He is with us and hears us all the time.

I think its important that we tell our kids G-d is not a magician.  Even though He is capable of it, His purpose is not to grant our every wish: If He is happy with us He will give us what we want, if He is mad at us we can forget it.   Just like parents and children, He wants what is best for us but sometimes His kids can't see things the way He does.  It may take a day or months or years to see how and why things unfold the way they do.

Praying to G-d is not like wishing upon a star.  Yes, He can peform miracles, He can do anything but, this is not the point.  The point of praying is to make a connection with G-d, to become more like Him, to take on some of His attributes.  This way we can handle the situations in our life better, maybe feel calm in the middle of a storm or not be so upset when we don't get our way (maybe it wasn't so important after all).

I think our early perception of G-d is important, it helps us maintain our faith and not lose sight of what is important.