“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4 NLT

Peanut Butter

There was a time when “Pepper,” one of our family dogs, had to be taken to the veterinary hospital. Pepper had been suffering a long time with several illnesses and it was time for her to be laid to rest. My daughter-in law and her mother were sharing with our mutual grandchildren that Pepper had gone home to heaven. In our time of grief, we all were comforted by our oldest grandson, who was 10 years old at the time, with these words: “Pepper can eat chocolate now. When I get to heaven I’m gonna eat peanuts.”

In Mathew 18:1-5 (NLT), when Jesus’ disciples asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”, He answered this way: “Jesus called a little child to Him and put the child among them. Then He said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on My behalf is welcoming Me.’” Children can lead us to reality, humility, and honesty. I love the simplicity of their thinking, yet factual, revealing wisdom. Through the eyes of children, we can see amazing truths.

I love that there was no fear of death in our grandchild’s response. He suffers from many allergies and through God’s grace he is doing well today. This has made him aware of life’s daily challenges, and sensitive to other children, pets, and people who suffer with pain or health issues. The severity of his peanut allergy has taken him near death. He has learned to read every label on food packages. Our other three grandsons are allergic to this same food as well, but he is the one who is most severely affected. I can relate to my grandsons with this particular allergy, as I too have learned to live with the challenges that go alongside this type of allergy.

This may seem like a simple suffering to many; however, this simple suffering of an allergic reaction can lead to death if not taken seriously, and makes us careful to follow all the precautions that go along with it. Our grandchildren understand the reality of life and death. I’m so thankful that they look forward to heaven as a wonderful place where we can eat peanut butter.

“Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1 NIV).

What are you looking forward to when you get to heaven?

Lord, we humble ourselves as little children. We look forward to seeing You face-to-face. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.