Jonah keeps asking questions about God and heaven. "Where is God? Is He big? How can He be in my heart if He is big? Can I see God? Can you see God? Does God have a truck? God is not in our house or our church. I cannot see Him. Is He bigger than the Giant Pickle? (Goliath, from Veggie Tales) Is He bigger than the Boogie Man? the Monsters on TV? (also Veggie Tales)"
His questions excite and also make me a bit nervous. I love that he is thinking about God and wanting to know more. But I also want to be sure that I am explaining things in a way that enables him to understand who God really is. I want to give clear, biblical answers..yet it needs to be in a vernacular a four year old can understand. I also don't want to give him a false impression of God that could potentially stay with him for his entire life.
Heaven is a little bittersweet for me, and I would venture to assume, for most adults. It is a place I dream about, long for, and fear just wee little bit. I want to go there, but I don't want to die or leave my family or friends. I want to see people who are already there and I want to see the awesome place God has created for us. Most of all, I want to see God.
Jonah asked me again tonight to pray that God would let him see heaven. That is a little heart wrenching! Of course I want him to go to heaven..but not quite yet? There are a multitude of feelings that swirled through my head as he waited for my answer. I had to carefully gauge my facial expressions too! I didn't want him to think heaven is a place he shouldn't want to go or that he should fear going there, or even the moment our life is over here. I told him he could go when God thought it was the right time. I also told him I thought it would be really cool if we could all go together and tried to be cheerful though there was a lump the size of a large baking potato in my throat. Wow..being a parent is just hard.
He asked if God would be taking us in a plane or a truck? I told him I wasn't sure..that we might fly there. He wanted to know if God had a big fire truck that He could take us all on. He said he wanted all of us to go on the big fire truck. I told him he could ask God. (He asks God for snow every night too.)
On the lighter side, he needed to use the restroom today while we were in our meeting at the new church to discuss lighting/audio/video setup. I told him he could go outside..I was thinking behind a bush or something.. I tended to Jude for a few moments and then looked around for Jonah and he's in the middle of the yard where at least neighbors from five different yards could see, with his shorts and underwear around his feet aiming for who knows what. Yes, we are raising little rednecks. I am from the bootheel after all!
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