This morning I made bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast, and sat down to eat with my three hungry little bear cubs. After convincing them to wait until after the prayer to dig in, we bowed our heads to pray. I led the prayer, and said our usual thanks for the good night’s rest and for the food to nourish our bodies. I also asked God to help us have a good day with school and to remember that homeschooling is not just about getting smarter, but more so about getting on the right path to Heaven. After we said “Amen” and began our breakfast, one of the children said something about Heaven which sparked a whole discussion about it. They wanted to know what it would look like, who we would see there, what we would do there, and when would we be going there.
I tried to wrap my feeble mind around their intense questions. I think that everyone has those same questions in their minds at some point in their lives, but my children were seriously asking me to answer them, just as if they were asking me what would be for dinner. They expected me to know.
I explained to them that no one really knows for sure what it looks like, who will be there, what we’ll do there, or when we’ll be going. But I did know what the Bible says about the streets being like gold and the other things that we consider precious here on earth. I told them about the people from Bible days that we will hopefully be able to meet in Heaven, as well as loved ones who have gone on before us. Our days in Heaven will be spent in praise for our Creator, and I told them how wonderful it will be to finally be able to sit at Jesus’ feet. And as for when we’re going to leave, that’s another big mystery. I told them that was the reason we needed to be ready, as if Jesus were coming back in the next five minutes.
We talked about what it will be like on Judgment Day. DD age7 said that she loved that song about the trumpets playing. (It’s a song by FFH that talks about how “someday, I’ll see, He’s coming back for me, and all together we’ll fly away… someday, I’ll hear, that trumpet loud and clear, and all together we’ll fly away…) We also talked about the song we sing at church called “This World Is Not My Home”, and how this world really is not our home, we’re only passing through.
The children digested their breakfast while digesting our discussion about Heaven. As I sat with them, I reflected on how much different things now that we’re homeschooling. What a gift it was to be able to not only cook my children a good breakfast, but to leisurely enjoy it with them. What a blessing to have the time to meander through their thoughts and watch them unfold as they discover new ideas and concepts. And the best part of it all is having the opportunity to teach them about Jesus and their Heavenly father who created them to be the special kids they are. This makes it all worthwhile.
(Originally posted October 5, 2006 – Home For Heaven’s Sake )
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Well said, and Amen to that! It’s these types of moments and discussions that one simply cannot plan sprinkled throughout our days that assure me we are right where we’re supposed to be on this homeschooling journey. Thanks for sharing.
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