Tough Questions

I'm in the middle of some tough conversations with Warren lately.  Sunday night, after we finished reading in bed, he started crying because he was scared.  I reminded him that he didn't need to be scared, because God and Pops were watching over him.  Then he said he was crying because he missed Pops and he wanted to sit next to him and eat lunch.  Well, of course I started bawling too.  Thus began our week.....

Tonight, he started crying again.  This time, because he missed Dickens (my mom's dog).  He asked me where Dickens went and I told him that Dickens was up in Heaven.  When he asked me why, I told him that God needed Dickens up there with Pops.  Warren started bawling.  He said he wasn't ready to go to Heaven because if he did Harper was going to miss him. 

I knew that this precious little four year old.....my precious four year old was doing some serious thinking and this was a defining moment.  As gently as I could, without bawling myself, I told him that people don't go to Heaven until God is ready for them.  And that he doesn't need to worry because I don't think God is ready for him up there yet.  

I also told him that when people go to Heaven, it's a really great place....people in Heaven are never sad.  So, we are sad here because we don't have Pops, but Pops isn't sad.  And that if we went to Heaven, Harper probably would be sad because we weren't here with him, but we wouldn't be sad in Heaven.  With that he turned over and fell right to sleep.