Surprised By A 6 Year Old's Faith: How My Son's Prayer Turned a Profit

A few days ago, my six-year-old son asked if he could set up an art stand (think lemonade stand) featuring his Charlie Brown drawings. I was hesitant. I mean, who is going to stop on our street and buy drawings from a kid they don't know?

He kept asking, so I finally relented. The first afternoon nothing happened since it was late and getting dark. I thought he'd forget about it. But today, he kept asking, so again he set up shop. I made sure to give him a pep talk so he wouldn't be let down. I let him know it's Sunday and most of our neighbors are at church. Plus, we live on a quiet street that doesn't see much traffic. Even with all that, he was convinced he was going to sell a drawing. He even asked if he could go door to door. 

He got his older brother in on the action yelling, "Charlie Brown pictures! Get your Charlie Brown pictures! $2." A few cars drove by with only one passenger turning to see what my son was doing. My heart sank.

After about 30 minutes of sitting out in the hot sun, I told the boys they'd have to come in for lunch. Just as they were about to pack up, a guy in Mustang drove by and waved. Then, he slowed down and backed up.

He asked my son, "what are you selling?"

"Charlie Brown drawings," my son replied.

The man got out of the car and asked how much.

"$2 for one and $4 for 2," my son announced.

"Do you have change for a ten?" the man asked.

"Aw man, we are not prepared," my 10-year-old son said. "We don't have change."

"I'll take three drawings," the man said as he handed my son a $10 bill.

I wish someone could have captured the looks on all of our faces.

"You have to sign each one of the pictures for me though, okay?" the man said.

My son happily obliged.

The man waved at me and said, "This is how dreams start." He took his drawings, shook my son's hand, told him to keep up the good work and drove off.

With just one customer, my son sold more than half of his inventory of Charlie Brown drawings.

When we got inside I asked him if he was shocked. He saId, "well, last night I prayed for a customer to come. I told God I would be patient and just do whatever He wanted me to do." His bedtime prayer turned into today's profit.

He had faith when I didn't. And I felt just plain bad about it.

Looking at it logically, it probably was unlikely that anyone would stop on our street and buy from him. But in the world of "with God all things are possible" this was definitely in the realm of possibility. 

I had to apologize to my son for not having faith in his endeavor. It's definitely a lesson that I'll be carrying with me for the rest of my mothering years. No matter how unlikely I think their dreams are or how it doesn't make sense to me, the least I can do is stand in faith with them. I'm amazed at how these children challenge me to up my faith at every turn.