conversations

Our car is more often than not filled with the sounds of Veggie Tales and other children's music. There are sometimes I tell the boys, mainly Grey, that he has to give mommy a turn to listen to something else. Anything else. 


This morning on the way to church, I very slyly switched it to "mommy's music." I was delighted to hear Our God is Greater as soon as I made the switch. Perfect for our ride to church. Just a few seconds later Grey said "Mommy, this song is about Jesus!" And only a few seconds after that he asked me this...


"Mommy, we will all go to Heaven to live with God one day?" 


Oh the questions of a 3.5 year old. Believe me, I get a whole lot of questions in a day that baffle me and most of the time I am challenged to even answer the question. When Grey asks me anything having to do with God or Jesus, it always tills up my heart to the core. I am forced to get to the fundamentals of my faith which typically brings me to tears as I try desperately to make things as clear as possible for an expounding mind.


The rest of our conversation went like this.


me: "No we will not all go the Heaven to live with God."


Grey: "Well will I live there with you and Daddy?"


me: "Only if you decide to put your faith in Jesus and not yourself."


Grey: "Well I want to put my faith in Jesus." (this is a frequent response)


me: "I know that you want to, but Daddy and Mommy want to make sure that you can fully understand that decision."


Grey: "Well what happens if I don't go to Heaven one day?"


me: "There is another place called Hell. Satan lives there and that's where everyone who does not go to Heaven will go."


Grey: "You mean Satan the snake?"


me: "Yes, the same Satan who was in the garden with Adam and Eve."


Grey: "Well I still want to put my faith in Jesus and go to Heaven with you and Daddy. And Tucker can even come to."


me: "I wish it was that easy. Mommy and Daddy pray for you, Tucker, and your baby brother that God reveal  Himself to you and help you understand who He is and from there you would all put your faith in Him. That is the only way you will go to Heaven to live with God."


Grey: "Well I will stomp on Satan's head with my real cowboy boot." 




And after that I was speechless. 


In the moment as I was explaining Hell to my 3 year old, it became so real to me that NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. Though he doesn't understand the magnitude of every single thing that the simple question he asked entails, I do. I understand how I stand justified before the Lord and only through Jesus will I be able to enter the presence of God. I understand that if he does not put his faith in Jesus and repent that he will spend eternity in Hell. My son. The gift is free to him and his heart is tender. I will be on my knees.