uHhh...

while i am no genius, in fact far from it, i'd like to think that i have the mental capacities which surpass my five year old's, at least for the mean time. yet at times, such as tonight, i doubt that that is even the case...one of the hardest topics of conversation to comprehend, for five year olds, but also for the general public is that of death. it's reality but a hard one to fully comprehend in all its ramifications. while we have yet to deal with any in your face scenarios regarding death (thank God), the topic is still a hot one that is brought up pretty consistently around here. one of Joey's incessant questions regarding death centers around jack, our (former, but still in our life) dog. he's asked me on numerous occasions if jack will be in heaven. while i've heard rants and raves surrounding this topic from various theological perspectives, the answer i've given was one that was given to me when i was little (although im pretty sure i was more like 10ish) by a sunday school teacher. when asked if our pets would be in heaven she replied, "God will provide everything that we NEED in heaven. if it is needed, it will be there." while i'm sure this answer could be debated i thought it was quite adequate in meeting my own reservations surrounding the future of my beloved pooch and her eternal fate. it sufficed and was comforting to me. and so when this exact question was posed to me, i drew from my own childhood theological lessons and used it in hopes of providing a sufficient answer for an inquisitive mind. i felt assured that it would answer the question, at least to my five year old. i mean geesh, it still is sufficient for me, and im 27. i should know by now though, that answers given to Joey are not always taken at face value, which is a good thing in the long run, however tricky for me as i'm looked to as the knower of all in his little eyes. while this exact answer seemed to satisfy him the last 14 or so times that it's been given, tonight, for whatever reason, his brain went further. after hearing my rhetorical answer once again, he replied, and i quote, "but God is all that we NEED in heaven. we may want jack to be in heaven, but won't need him because God will be there. so does that mean jack won't be there?" i was left stumped. he had me. he'd made a valid point, yet again and i didn't know where to go from there except to affirm his newest discovery. while he lives a very typical 5 year old life, there are moments where he seems wise beyond his years. im sure this is how every parent feels and yet he continues to amaze me at times. theology from a five year old is good because its pure. black and white and usually right on...yay for God infusing His truth into a 5 year old's heart.