“This world is not my home I’m just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore
Oh Lord you know I have no friend like you”
from “This World is Not My Home” by Jim Reeves
These lyrics may sound familiar to you For believers, it is wonderful to know that this world is not our home and that we are just “passin’ through.” The thought provides comfort in good times and in bad. How much are we impressing the transient nature of this world on our children? How often to we talk about being “heaven bound’? There are some great benefits to helping our children identify their eternal home.
Here are some benefits to keeping a heaven-bound perspective:
- It makes the new heaven and earth a reality, not a fantasy. Read Revelation 21:1-7 and Revelation 22:1-7 for a picture of the new heaven and God’s restored kingdom.
- It helps our children learn early on that death is not something that believers need to fear. We can see this confidence in the face of death in the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7. He lived his life (and died) with the clear and firm knowledge of an eternal destination.
- It can help them keep the troubles of this world in perspective. It’s important not to minimize the current hardships of our children, but if we can help them focus on the fact that this world is a cheap imitation of the one to come, they can fret less about the struggles in this life.
- A heaven-bound perspective can help us have compassion for others. If we know that “our life is but a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow” (see James 4:14) we will have a greater compassion for the lost. If we know where we are going, we will want as many as possible to join us.
- If your child is struggling with a difficult feelings, you can say something like, “It won’t always be like this. In heaven, there will be no sorrow, fear or sadness.”
- To get them excited about heaven, you can say, “Isn’t it great to know that God is preparing a place for you? I can’t wait to see what He has in store!”
- If your child notices a dead or decaying tree, you can say, “In the new earth, nothing will ever die.”
- While visiting the zoo, you can say, “In the new earth, the lion and the lamb will be friends. Won’t that be amazing to see?”
- While enjoying nature, you can say, “What a beautiful earth we live in! But imagine this: the new earth will be even better. God says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”(1 Corinthians 2:9).
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