God gave us Heaven.

Yesterday I took the kiddos over to Barnes and Noble in search for a couple of new children's books. Jacob is way past the board books and actually has a pretty long attention span when it comes to reading so I wanted to buy him an older book. One with actual paper pages.

After looking around for a bit I found this book, "God Gave Us Heaven" by Lisa Bergren. It was on a display at the end of the aisle and the adorable polar bear illustration immediately drew me to it. I skimmed it and thought that the theology of it seemed pretty good, but it wasn't until I sat down with Jacob last night to read it that I realized how spot on this book is.

It follows a conversation that Little Cub and his father, Papa, have regarding Little Cub's curiosity about heaven. I was amazed that it didn't shy away from the difficult things. Like that you actually have to die in order to get there. When my dad past away from kidney cancer last May I remember the nurse from hospice telling me that it was okay to talk to a three year old about death. That I should actually tell Jacob that Papa had died and is now with Jesus. I don't know why but it has been so hard for me to say those words. Seeing them in print within this children's book made it so much easier for me and opened the door for Jacob and I to actually talk about death and to face the reality that our Papa had died.

I was also so impressed that this book clearly illustrates the gospel message. That you have to accept Jesus in order to get to heaven. It depicts Jesus as the bridge between humanity and a God who longs to be with us forever.

This book is really amazing and I'm so grateful that I stumbled upon it. I have been having a really difficult time this holiday season without my dad and have been crying much more than usual. Jacob has picked up on this and so we've been talking about Papa more. About how much we miss him but that he is "in heaven probably playing puzzles with Jesus" as Jacob likes to say.

I highly recommend this book for all children. It's a great way to talk about the reality of death without it being scary or something that we should be afraid of. It gives hope that we will one day see our loved ones again and that we will get to spend eternity worshipping our Savior. I've enjoyed the time that Jacob and I have spent reading it together and the conversations that have taken place between us. I'm looking forward to the day when I can read it with Abby and tell her about her amazing Papa that is now in Heaven with our Lord. How awesome to have this book as a tool in that process.