Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Almost every morning, we hear the sweet sounds of worship and praise coming from the girls' bedroom. I literally hear them singing, " I will sing praise!
I will sing praise!" It fills my heart with joy and puts an instant smile on my face. Seriously, how could it not? This morning, I walked in to find them playing with their babies. They said they were playing "Mary and the Angels" (notice that Mary's got a baby on the way). I love the fact that most of their pretend play revolves around different bible stories or books that they've read. It's not uncommon for them to play the Good Samaritan, the Little Drummer Boy, Ruth and Orpah, or David & Goliath. As I stood braiding Gracie's hair this morning, she said something that I've been thinking about...

Gracie: "Mama, I'm gonna go up to heaven with you and hold your hand. We'll go together."

Inside, I was of course thinking that this had better NOT be a prophesy of some kind but almost instantly, I managed to say, "Awww, that would be so nice." It put a smile on her face and she was content.

On the way home from dance class, the girls also mentioned their Wong-Halmoni (my beloved grandma who passed away last year). Whenever they speak about her, it's very common for them to also mention heaven in the topic as well. Today, they asked if Wong Halmoni had a new heart/body in heaven and if she would be waiting patiently for us-- to which I answered Yes! Then Miss Smarty-Pants Faith innocently wanted to know on WHAT DAY we would be going to heaven??

I'm always amazed at the questions my little ones ask. In many ways, I see it as a gift. It helps me to put in perspective my own thoughts and feelings about certain subjects. In today's case, I used their comments and questions as a way of preparing and teaching them that this life is only our temporary home. That our real home is in heaven with God, Jesus, and all our loved ones who have believed in our Savior before us. As we were driving home, I tried to make heaven sound as wonderful as possible to two 4 year olds. Funny, their primary concerns revolved around the availablity of yummy food. :) Anyway, in the process, I realized once again that God was using my kids to minister to me and gently remind me of the fact that This Life Isn't All There Is.

It makes me so thankful for the gift of my children. They make me a better person, a better disciple, and a better believer. After all, there is no better time to prepare ourselves (and our children) for eternity than today.