Levi is a very curious boy. I suppose this is just in line with most four-year olds. However, Levi is very curious, or concerned might be the better word, with heaven and death.
I am not sure why he is fascinated with it. Perhaps it comes from his early obsession with dinosaurs or his knowledge that his Grandpa Russell is in heaven. But from an early age he asked questions regarding death and what happens after death.
With age, his questions have only gotten more direct. After watching the movie cars the other day, he asked me if God would have a tv for him so that he could keep watching Lightning McQueen. I told him that God wants us to be happy and he loves us, and God would provide for us everything that we needed in heaven. He then asked me if the dinosaurs would destroy our house. Because, Levi said, if the brachiosaurs destroyed our house, he might step on our tv that God gave us.
Levi is also an emotional child and there are times when he talks about dying, that tears come to his eyes. He is worried about being in heaven before us, he is worried about being alone, he is worried about the whole aspect of heaven. Seeing how sad he gets makes me equally sad.
Sometimes I do not know what to tell him. I want to be honest, but also vague. I feel uncomfortable saying that I will not die, or that we will die together. Being a child when my own father died was hard enough; I don't know how I would have reacted if my father had told me he would never die, then, poof, he dies.
I have chosen to tell Levi the things that I know; that heaven is a great place, where we will live together with God. Some people get to heaven earlier, but we all will get there. When he specifically asks me about Grandpa Russell, I tell him that God needed a pizza chef, and that is what Grandpa Russell knew how to do, so God asked him to come to heaven a bit early.
For now, this is working. Well, it also works to tell him that God keeps the dinosaurs in a separate place so that they do not smash any houses. And that God has tv and toys.
3 comments:
Wow, what a reflective little man! He is such a sweetie!
Luke has always been the same way. He has always asked about these sorts of things, and he has always been very concerned about whether or not his favorite toys will be coming with him to heaven. One day, at age three, he started crying because "skeletons can't hold things." Turned out he was worried about how he would get his toys up to heaven after he had died.
Wow, Nom I had no idea he was already asking those types of questions. What an observer...
I like what you told him about Papa going to heaven to cook pizzas! :) Make sure you tell him that even though he's in heaven he still watches us, protects us, prays for us and loves us very much. Hopefully he'll put two and two together, and in not so many words (and not so traumatic) you'll be telling him that if anything ever happens to you or Josh that you'll be there for him...
You're such a good mom Naomi! :)
Love you, Cyppy
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