Silly Cecilia Moments--Heaven and Death

We have been talking to Cecilia about Heaven for a few months now. Here are a couple of stories that show she's been pondering our conversations.

I had to get blood taken at the doctor's office and they gave me a band-aid for my poor bruised finger. When I came out Cecilia saw it and asked why I needed a shot. We talked about how mommy had a "shot" because the doctor needed to make sure the baby was doing well. Then we talked about how shots may not be fun but they are good because they help protect us from disease. Heaven came up as I told her that in heaven we won't have to worry with shots because no one gets sick. She was really excited about that and all the way home quizzed me about which day of the week we would get to go to heaven. She informed me that Tuesdays & Thursdays were school days, Wednesdays and Sundays we went to church, so that left Mondays, Fridays or Saturdays for us to go to Heaven. A few days later my friend Amanda (See the "Why I Love My Friends" post) was driving Cecilia somewhere for me. She and Cecilia were chatting when all of the sudden Cecilia said in a rather desperate little voice, "Deda (this is what she has always called Amanda), I hope you get to go to Heaven." Amanda replied that she is going to Heaven because she believes in Jesus. Cecilia excitedly states, "OH GOOD! I want you to be there with Me and Mommy and Daddy and Gareth. Do you know that you don't have to get shots and you won't get sick!"

Just recently I was driving the kids home from running some errands. Out of the blue Cecilia asked, "Mommy, when do we go to Heaven?"
I wasn't sure how to respond to her. It seemed that the honest answer was too morbid for a 4 year old, but when in doubt I try for the simple truth. "Well honey, we can't go to Heaven until we die."
"OH Yes!" She said with a grown-up, matter of fact tone, "When our lives are all used up, we die and then we go to Heaven."

Later that night Josh was saying prayers with her when she decided to branch out and pray on her own. Normally they say roughly the same prayer each night with him starting and her repeating, but this night she threw a bit of a curve ball. She prayed, "God, please let Mommy and Daddy die really soon! Amen."
Obviously Josh was a bit freaked. He had not been privy to the conversation she and I had in the car and was, to say the least, concerned over Cecilia's recent desire to see our imminent demise.

I hope she maintains this eager desire for Heaven through her whole life, and that Gareth and Audrey grow excited about it as well. I remember when I was growing up I was not exactly thrilled over the whole idea of Heaven. It just seemed boring...Worshiping God all the live long day... ummmm-OK.
In college I read "The Sacred Romance" and the last chapter started opening my heart to how exciting our glorification will be. The authors talk about how Heaven will draw us into perfect intimacy with the Godhead and each other. They talk about how we will be united with beauty, and that being with our God will begin the greatest and most satisfying adventure we've ever known. Those things didn't sound boring, they sounded too good to be true.

That chapter coupled with C.S. Lewis's "The Great Divorce" and a simple line from a song,

"Curse-reversing Day of Jesus
When you finally seize my soul
Freedom from myself will be the
Sweetest rest I’ve ever known"

helped me understand what Paul meant when he wrote, "To live is Christ, to die IS GAIN." I love that Cecilia grasps this idea so naturally.