We have a couple of books that I like to share with my daughter to help her understanding of heaven. Of course, the Bible is the authority on this, but I do like using books as a tool to help me explain heaven.
God Gave Us Heaven is excellent at clearing up some misconceptions about heaven in a very child-friendly way. The reality is that we are not all old when we go and we won't be angels! Papa bear also explains to Little Cub how to get to heaven. This is an excellent book. (We have it as part of a three-book treasury God Gave Us So Much
, linked to review...Awesome book.) This collection is written by Lisa Tawn Bergren.
Heaven Is a Wonderful Place written by Joanne Marxhausen is a colorful book with bold, crisp illustrations. (When I saw this and another book, called 3 in 1 about God in three persons, at our family camp's gift shop, I was thrilled to purchase them since I had not seen them at other bookstores, though I had heard of them.) God's love, heaven, hell, and how Jesus gives the gift of eternal life are all discussed. Great book (and I highly recommend 3 in 1, too). It is very appropriate for a family looking to discuss heaven in a biblical manner.
What about Heaven? is a book of questions a child might ask. It's cute, and has rhyming text. The main text does not help a child understand better about heaven-because it is a bunch of questions that a child might ask about heaven. However, the back of the book is full of answers and Bible references that clarify some of those questions.
On a personal note, I thought I would share what prompted my writing this post. I'm rather aware of the fact that we have friends and family that may or may not be in heaven one day. I don't assure M that every person who dies will be in heaven to greet us. I remember clearly when she asked me about one of my family members who passed away when I was young. She asked if he was in heaven. It was tough, but I had to be honest. I also let her know that we can't be sure of someone else's life, but we can know for ourselves. (I hope that makes sense. M hasn't accepted Jesus as her Savior, but we still have these discussions.) The Bible is the authority on this, and it makes it clear that "believing in God" isn't enough. (See James 2:19.) There is more to faith than acknowledging His existence. We need to trust in God and accept his gift of Jesus' sacrifice for us. It's only through Jesus' blood that we can be accepted by God because we are each sinners.
So do you have other books you reall
4 comments:
I loved God Gave Us the World! I feel bad that I didn't like God Gave Us You.
LOVE your last paragraph!!
Those look like great books. I'll have to see if I can find them for my boys. Your last paragraph was well said!!
Thanks for this helpful post. We haven't read any of the books you mentioned above. When my daughter was four she asked a lot of questions about heaven. While I think I answered her questions, it would have been nice to have some child appropriate materials to read with her.
That's a great list of books. It is such a hard topic.
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