Play Date With God

All of a sudden death is a big topic of discussion at my house. I blame Disney. So many of their movies involve orphans or single parent homes. Bambi loses his mother, The Rescuers rescue Penny the orphan and what happened to the Little Mermaids' mom anyway? Rainey has picked up on this to the point that every one of her dolls has lost at least one parent.

Last night we were playing with her Polly Pockets and she told me that their dad had died. I seized the moment to engage her in a philosophical conversation about death.

Dad: What happens when you die?

Rainey: You're dead.

Dad: But, what happens to you?

Rainey: You get killed.

Dad: Then what?

Rainey: You go to heaven.

Dad: What do you do in heaven?

Rainey: You play with God.

Dad: Wow, that sounds like fun. What does God like to play?

Rainey: He likes to play God the Father and God the Savior and God the ocean and God the tree and God the cave.

Dad: Yeah, He does.

Now I know heaven is going to be more wonderful than any of us can imagine, but it is fun to dream. For Shoeless Joe Jackson and others in the movie Field of Dreams it was a magical baseball field in Iowa. Right after Valentine's Day my wife took me to play golf and then we had a massage. That was pretty close to heaven I think. For Rainey, its all about a really fun play date. God never gets tired of playing and He never makes you stop to eat or take a nap or a bath or go potty.

We used to sing a song in the church where I grew up called "When I Wake Up To Sleep No More." Remember that one? Well, my sister Lee Ann loved to sleep. Heavenly rest was her dream. Never sleeping again sounded more like hell to her!

What would heaven be like for you?