FMF Jan 2026

Hebrews 6: 17-20 “…God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of promise, the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus entered as a forerunner for us…”

The two unchangeable things: His purpose rooted in truth, and God cannot lie. He gave an oath to anchor our souls to hope, to Him. 

Time to mend deep hurts, time to mend unanswered questions. A Riddle in a Paradox is a children's story I've written about a little boy and his conversation with the Father of Light. 

This story is on submission and may not be reproduce, sold or used in any commercial avenue. 

Rhonda Brown						Faith-forward Picture Book Parable
1335 Montana Drive 						WC 450
Conway, AR 72034						On Submission
leighbrontebrown2@gmail.com
Word Press: https://brontebrown2.com/
https://x.com/RhondaLBrown2

Age Range: 5-8 years old
Faith-based/ Inspirational/ Read Aloud

A Riddle in a Paradox: A Conversation with the Father of Light
By Rhonda Bronte Brown

A father’s love guides us, helps us feel significant. 
Some children grow up wrapped in hugs. 
Some hear bedtime stories every night.  
And some children wonder what love is supposed to feel like. 
This story is for them. 

Excerpt:

One day, a quiet boy named Tom was thinking big thoughts: 
thoughts about family,  
thoughts about love, 
thoughts about truth. 

Some thoughts felt confusing. 

“Hello, Tom,” said a deep, gentle voice. 
Tom looked up. “Do I know you?”
“Not yet,” said the man. “But you have heard of Me.”

Tom studied Him for a moment. 
“Oh, you’re God, the one everyone talks about.”
“Yes.”
Tom took a breath. “I have a question.”
“I like questions,” God said.
“Is it true that you can do anything?”
“Yes,” God replied. “I created the heavens and the earth.”

Curiosity tugged at Tom’s heart. 
“Is there anything You can’t do?”
“Yes.”
Tom’s eyes widened. He was not expecting that answer.  
“How can both be true?” Tom asked.

“It is called a paradox.”
Tom looked puzzled. 
“That means two surprising things can both be true,” God added.

“Here’s a riddle for you,” said God. “Imagine I made a rock so big that it would be impossible to pick up. What kind of rock would that be?”

Tom thought big. He stretched his arms wide. “Humongous,  bigger than a mountain, bigger than the moon.”
God laughed. The kind of laugh that made Tom feel safe. 

“Yes. And one more: a solid rock,” God said, “a  bedrock.”
Tom blinked. “What’s a bedrock?”

“A bedrock is a strong rock,  a rock with no cracks, a rock to build on.”
Tom nodded. 
“ It is a rock of truth,” God said. “Like Me.”

“Why a bedrock?” 
“Because I spoke truth when I made the world,” God explained. “Truth is what the world stands on.”

Tom was quiet. “So you cannot lie?” 
“I cannot.”  God’s voice grew quiet. 

“Lies slip through like water on sand,” He said. “They wash things away, even the things the heart wants to keep. Truth holds things together.”

Tom looked up. “How can I know it is really you?” 
“I am always here,” God said gently. “But it is your choice to see Me.”
Tom looked down, then back up. “Why do I get to choose?” 

“Because love must be chosen freely,” God said. “I did not make you like a tree, rooted in one place. I made you with a heart that can feel and a will that can choose.” 
“I choose?” Tom asked. 
“Yes,” God said. “I made you free to choose whether to come close or turn away.”  

Tom thought for a moment.
“So, the riddle was never about a rock.”
God smiled. 
 “It was about your heart,” God said, “and what you choose to build upon.”

Theme: This story explores the classic omnipotence paradox through a child’s conversation with God, revealing God's nature in a clear, relational way.