"Stop a baby's breath..." (Pt 1)

... and a shoe full of rice" (The Verve Pipe)

I’m not sure if I’m ready to tackle such a controversial topic. I am neither well-informed nor confident in my Biblical foundation enough to argue my viewpoint effectively or in public. However, this year is about trying new things, and being more open, right? Oh, that’s right, you weren’t there when I made the resolution. So… well, just nod your head and agree. Anyway, here’re my thoughts on what happens to babies when they die. Note, I’ve done extensive research in this subject (hey I googled past the first 2 pages of results! How many of you guys can say that?) and interviewed many people (my mom, a cousin and a friend). So I can safely say I know as much about the afterlife as 3 normal people!

I’ll have to be honest with you. I think about death almost every day. It’s probably the second most frequent topic I dwell on when I’m bored (which is, quite frankly, very often). You could say that I’m obsessed with death, but I know you won’t, mainly because I moderate all your comments, and delete the ones that say I’m obsessed with death. But I’m sure, everyone thinks about it once in a while. Is there really an afterlife? What will we do when we die? And most importantly, will there be TV in heaven? And if so, would it show only reruns of “Touched by an Angel” and “Highway to Heaven”? These and other important questions have been tackled by other religions, philosophers, and other great thinkers of our time such as MercyMe and Audio Adrenaline. Questions like, what will it be like finally seeing God, face-to-face? I think it's like seeing who the real person is behind that cute Elf-Chick in World Of Warcraft, after you’ve been gaming for months. But instead of finding some bearded guy pretending to be the chick, you’ll find, umm, something even more fantastical. What God looks like, I don’t know, because I’m not dead yet. But as soon as I die and find out, I’ll let you know. I promise. Just don’t get scared when I do tell.

So, I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’m a little afraid of death. It seems so… final. And if indeed a paradise exists on the other side of this veil that we call life, then it is well-hidden. Sure Jesus talks about it, and John wrote a whole apocalyptic book on it, but the descriptions are all so vague. It’s as if I described what a sunset looks like to a blind person. How can I convey the majestic colors, or the way the sun paints the clouds so radiantly? How do you even tell a blind man what orange mixed with a little red, with dots of fire looks like, or even what that puffy white thing floating in the sky looks like? You can’t, and that’s what heaven is like to us. Jesus may have come from there, but as we have no experience on earth that can rival Paradise, He has a hard time describing it. That’s why he uses parables, stories drawn from real, common experiences that many people share, to describe heaven. “Heaven is like a man selling all his treasures to buy the one perfect pearl.”(Mat 13:45-46) Or again, “Heaven is like a farmer sowing seeds.” (Mat 13:24) I’m not sure if heaven is a big field or an oyster bed, but whatever it is, it’s certainly better than Hell. (How do I know it’s better? Well easy, you’ve heard the phrase, “as hot as hell”, right? Well… have you ever heard it said, “as hot as heaven”? Yeah I didn’t think so either.)

Next time I'll actually get to the topic of babies. I know I ramble sometimes, it's my way of filling up space for 2 days without having to think of 2 topics! I know! Isn't it efficient of me! Yes! You're right! I'm doing it again! So, I want to preface Thurs. topic with a caveat. I'm not going to give you my opinion on what I think happens to babies when they die. What I am going to do, is try to open your mind to new thoughts and new possibilities. So, I will present you ideas to think about, ideas you may have not thought of the first time. People always blithely trust their first instincts, without really thinking about a subject. Or they listen to what other people have to say, other people who are just as unknowledgeable as they are. So keep an open mind, and an open dialogue and comment ;) Until Thurs!