The Gospel According To Joseph

Sharing my faith with my children is one of my favorite things about being a mother.  But sometimes, expressing the beauty of the Gospel to a five-year-old boy with the attention span of a fruit fly leaves me shaking my head.  The following conversation actually happened this week:

Joseph:  Do people have eyeballs in Heaven?

Me:  Probably not like we have them now, but we will certainly be able to see what is going on around us in Heaven. 

Joseph:  Do people sleep on clouds?

Me:  I don't know.  Maybe.  The Bible doesn't tell us a whole lot of specific things about Heaven, but we know it will be a million times better than earth.

Joseph:  Bad guys in jail don't go to Heaven.

Me:  Well, they do if they ask God to forgive them for their sins and ask Jesus into their heart.  We're all sinners, whether we're a bad guy in jail or not...

Joseph:  If they don't love Jesus, they'll go to hell and the devil will keep them in a cave.

Me:  Well, something like that.  Do you understand how we get to Heaven?

Joseph:  You die.

Me:  Well, yes, but how do you get to go there when you die?

Joseph:  You love Jesus.

Me:  [thinking we're finally getting somewhere]  Yes, you love Jesus, and you ask him to forgive you for your sins, and you invite Him to live in your heart.

Joseph:  So are we happy that Jesus died on the cross?

Now, there's one for the theologians.  Any takers?

Me:  I'm not happy that Jesus had to suffer, but I'm sure thankful he was willing to go through that to pay for my sins.

Joseph:  [Thoughtful pause].  Oh.  So, are ninjas real?

And...evidently the moment has passed.

Comments

[Samantha]

Ahh..The "heaven" talks have been coming up lately with my 4 year old twin daughters. Recently we lost someone very special to us. They understand that she lives in Heaven with the Angels now, but, they also think that they can just beam on up there and visit her whenever they want, too. When they see the lines in the sky that a jet makes, they say "look mommmy, there's granny" and I think it's okay that they think that, but I am not sure how to get them to understand that they cant go there to see her until they, well, until their time comes. Sheesh, being a mom is complicated stuff!

[Catez]

"Joseph: So are we happy that Jesus died on the cross?

Now, there's one for the theologians. Any takers?"

LOL. I'm not going near it. Think of the blogswarm...

Just asking - are ninjas real?

[Brandi]

I am SO GLAD my mouth wasn't full of water when I read this! Otherwise, I might have sprayed the front of my computer!

Remember at this age feed them in small bites. Not only do we as mommies have an incredible opportunity to share this special message of Christ's sacrifice, but we also learn some very unusual things ABOUT our children.

Thank you for sharing this sweet, yet funny story.

[Heth]

"Caedmon, this is Joseph, Joseph, this is Caedmon. Now go ahead an talk through the deep things of life together." I would just love it if those two could meet. I LOVE that conversation.

[Shannon in Arizona]

are ninjas real......rotfl

[Mrs Blythe]

Ha ha ha ha, ROFL. It's not just mine then?

I've had recently:
DD1 Mummy, why are there no cars in Heaven?
Me [wisely] - because there aren't
DD1 - Mummy where is God?
Me - He's all around us.
DD1 - Is He not in Heaven?
Me - Yes but He's all around us too
DD1 - Why can't I see Him then?
Me - because...er...we can't...But we know He's there.
DD1 - How do we know?
Me - Because He is in our heart.
[incredulous child looks at tummy]
DD1 - He's in there?! [points to tummy]
Me - well metaphysically speaking...erm, bedtime!
DD1 - Mummy?
Me - Yeeeeees?
DD1 - Where's teddy?
Me - Phew.

[celina]

ok so it must be the season..my 5 yr is also plaguing me with questions wise beyond both of us.....

btw i LOVED the xmas WFMW..so thanks....i read EVERY SINGLE LINK.. and got tons of great ideas and recipes...

you rock...hahaha get it rock...dryer...ok definately not getting enough sleep.....take care

[Melanie]

ROFL! I love it - so sweet. At least he didn't balk at going to heaven because he was worried that his toys and the family car wouldn't be up there, like a friend of mine's 4 year old son recently.

I'll take last night's Bible class questions about why Ahab and Jezebel were bad, and why was Esther the queen, any day!

How do we get to heaven?

You DIE.

ROFL!!!

[GiBee]

Dear Joseph -- of course they are. Real, that is. Ninjas. Yes. They are real. You may even see some of them in heaven, although, not of the turtle variety. They will be in turtle heaven.

[momrn2]

Ah, but what a precious moment it was...

[Laurel Wreath]

But you never know how much he will think about that later on (I know from personal experience) ;)))

[Kara]

What a cutie! Ninja's, lol.

[chilihead]

Can't. Catch. Breath.

Killing.

Me.

[Susanne~Living2Tell]

Love it!

[Melanie]

Shannon-
Just after my daughter learned fire safety last year, she asked me if the fire in hell ever went out. When I told her "No, the Bible says it never goes out." She said,"I bet those people want to stop, drop and roll."
Ahhh. the little Charles Stanleys in our homes.

[Brandilyn Collins]

You all, these are so fun. I found this blog from one that linked to it, and am enjoying reading the posts. My kids are grown now--well, the youngest is a senior in high school. All this talk about younger children sure brings back memories.

When my son, Brandon, was five (that seems to be the age, doesn't it?) he asked, "Can Jesus do everything?"

"Yes, I suppose he can."

Brandon's eyes grew wide. "Can he do cartwheels?" (He'd had a rough time lately learning this move.)

"Well, guess so."

"When I get to heaven, will he teach me?"

You know, I came away from that conversation thinking--I can just see Jesus doing cartwheels with children in heaven...

[Domestic Goddess]

ah, the thought process of kids!

[kelli in the mirror]

My daughter's latest yearning of heaven stems from me telling her that nobody was sick there and that it says in the Bible Jesus will give us different, better bodies. Her whole face lit up and she asked, "Can Jesus make me sleep on a lilypad and jump like a frog?"

[mimi2six]

Little kid short attention spans make for interesting conversations!

[Sarah's in the midst of it]

Joseph and Caiden would make quite a team! I was trying to sagely and seriously discuss stranger danger and keeping our bodies private the other night, and all he was interested in was why we have toenails, to which I had no answer.

So are there ninjas in heaven? ;)

[Michelle]

LOL and you got to so love it when they're thinking deep thoughts.

[adustyframe]

Too cute.
Thankfully bad guys in jail CAN know Jesus. I happen to love one very much.

I love hearing how little one's minds work.