Moses' new best friend

I've tried to post a couple things this weekend, but blogger hasn't been loading pictures. But all of that has to wait, because I have BIG news:

Moses asked Jesus to be his best friend tonight!

Here's how it went down: I had read Moses his Bible story and was getting ready to leave the room, when Moses said, "I LIKE Jesus." I said, "Me, too, Moses. And you know what? Jesus really likes you, too. In fact, He wants to be your best friend. And all you have to do is pray, and ask Jesus to be your best friend, and He will." [Now, we've had a similar conversation a few times lately; and Moses knows that only Jesus' best friends get to join Him in heaven.]

The rest went something like this:

Me: Is that something you would like to do?
Moses: Yeah.
Me: You want to do that right now?
Moses: Well, sometime.
Me: Sometime later?
Moses: Well, after you leave.
Me: Oh, okay. You want me to leave right now, so that you can ask him?
Moses: Yeah.
Me: Will you call me back in when you are done?
Moses: Yeah.

So I left the room- I tried to listen in, but all I could hear was a few hushed whispers. Then he yelled, "Mommy, I'm done!"

OH, HOW HE MELTS MY HEART!

I told him how happy I am, and how happy Jesus is. He wanted to tell his Daddy, so K came in. K mentioned that we had both asked Jesus to be our best friends, and Moses asked if he could hear it. K said, "Sure, we can ask Jesus again." So we both did, and then asked if Moses wanted to again.

He said (matter-of-factly), "No. I already did!"

We had some cuddles with him before he went to bed. Then he called me back in and asked me to sing a song to him. He hasn't wanted me to sing to him at night in a VERY long time.

It was precious that he wanted to do it all by himself. At first I thought, "How do I know he really did it? Will I always wonder?!" But then I remembered my own experience, 30 years ago, when I stood by myself next to my parents' bookcase and asked Jesus into my heart one Sunday after church. I can tell you that was for real, even though no one heard it! And I remember being embarrassed when I told my mom what I had just done.

Moses is right; it's a personal thing, just between him and Jesus.

So happy right now, that I am not even bothered by the all-out fit I can hear ZuZu throwing in her crib! :)

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I've been overwhelmed this week with a better understanding that heaven is AMAZING and, well, beyond my capacity of human understanding (ironic, no?). And a realization that it (and He) is always just one breath away. It's almost as if we can catch a glimpse of it, but not quite.

We are so wrapped up in this world, and what our lives hold on this earth. And that isn't necessarily bad. Our capacity to want the best for our families, for our children, is part of our nature. Just as God wants the best for us as His children, we want the best for our children. But in our earthly perspective, what that really means is that we want what we THINK is the best for us.

Ah, this is such a struggle to put into words...

A friend lost his sister-in-law and her newborn baby this week. I can't put my finger on why, but it has rocked me to the core. I mean, I only knew them through my friend. I had never even met them. But as 40,000 people (yes, over 40,000 people joined a facebook page committing to pray for the family!) prayed for this little baby, she slipped away into eternity to be with her mommy. As a mommy, I can only imagine what a joyful reunion there was when that mommy got to finally hold the baby she had wanted for so long and carried for 37 weeks.

But that doesn't stop the questions. What about the daddy? Doesn't he need that child HERE? Wouldn't it be better for the grandparents to have that child HERE? Wouldn't it be better if she got to grow and laugh and go to school and get married and have children and live out a joyful life here on earth? Wouldn't that be BETTER?

And I think those on the "other side" laugh at questions like that. They know "better." They see Jesus, face-to-face, every day. When one of us joins then, they probably ask, "What took you so long? We've been waiting!" Why is it so hard for us to understand here how much "better" it is there?

After all, life here is hard. There is sorrow. There is terror. There is anger. There is heartbreak. There is despair. There is lawlessness. There is death- physical and spiritual. And it seems like the hardness of life just keeps getting harder. The sorrow here grows deeper. The terror here grows stronger. The anger here grows more bitter. The heartbreak and despair here grow more overwhelming and more universal. Suffering is rampant here, and it is growing.

Maybe that is because with each day that passes, we are that much closer to His return. This life is so. incredibly. short. We will all be joined together soon. And when all is said and done, we will look back at these hard days on earth and question why we ever treasured them at all.

Until then, I am committing to JOYFULLY await the day when I can spend eternity with my "brothers and sisters." To take each day as a blessing that I am not entitled to. To live each day as if it is the last day I have to give to Jesus.

I've tried and tried to write down what is on my heart, but it cannot be expressed. Fortunately, the groans of the Holy Spirit are understood by our Father in Heaven!

Come Lord Jesus, come!

As a mommy, I know how much I love and cherish my children and want to spend every minute of every day with them. God's desire is the same- but infinitely more so. And for some people on this earth, He just can't wait any longer to bring them to heaven. "He is jealous for me." OH HOW HE LOVES US!