Ok, well, after the last post I lost 3 followers (perhaps it was my trashy mouth!?) and got 4 e-mails reminding me that being a conservative does NOT equal being closed-minded. Oops! I re-read it and I suppose you could get that I was insinuating that, but I didn't mean it! I just meant that I am liberal. And I dislike people who are closed minded (although I find them fascinating and a challenge!). Not that I dislike conservative people because they are closed minded. I'm actually conservative in some ways, too, I just find myself agreeing more with the left. That's all! :) Didn't mean to offend.
This week was my "real life" friend Julie's daughter's 1st birthday. In Heaven. :( My husband and I drove to the cemetery to leave her a pumpkin and some balloons and as we were pulling away the balloons randomly came apart and flew off into the sky. I told my friend that her daughter absolutely needed them right that second for her party up there.
I then started to think about some of the stuff that we tell ourselves/say to make us feel better. I mean, what a lovely thought, right? I love thinking about balloons making it to Heaven. I love thinking about all our babies playing together, having cupcakes and wearing party hats and chilling with their great-grandparents.
I'm not really going anywhere with this, I don't think, I just don't know if my "old" self would have thought this-I believed in Heaven, but I guess I didn't think much about what goes on there. I haven't studied the Bible thoroughly to know and I can't find scripture that says explicitly what babies are like in Heaven (i.e. do they get new bodies? they couldn't stay so little/fragile-what about baby embryos that are miscarried?) and my pastor friends agree that they go there, though they don't exactly know what to tell me. I think I remember hearing once that everybody gets a new body there-a perfect, healthy one at the "perfect" age.
So, I believe what I want. That they are happy, and free, and giggling and having birthday parties with their friends and all of my relatives and I'd like to think that maybe they are NOT watching me-I don't want them to see me sad, and perhaps that sad that Avery got to stay and they didn't? (though I do find comfort sometimes when people tell me I have angels watching over me)
But then-I feel like they can't feel sad. I want where they are to be perfect. I think scripture does say whether or not they can watch us on Earth, but again, I've never really studied the Bible or gone too deep into any of it.
Actually, while I say that I want to sincerely apologize right off the bat for offending anyone out there reading this, because I know I sound like a total moron who knows nothing about religion but wants to believe in it. I mean, it's not quite that bad, but I know I probably sound stupid.
Ok, so my point is, what do you all think? Tell me!!!
The Quiet Zone
12 hours ago
11 comments:
I wish I knew what they were doing up there too...I have a degree in Biblical studies and cant tell you any better than the way you describe it. The scriptures are not clear. I wish I knew. I wish I knew that Trent wasn't in his tiny, sick body up there!
I think no matter what you believe you have to come to some kind of peace and belief in knowing that your baby/ies are up there being happy and knowing what love is. I like to believe that Kennedy did have a party up in heaven on Friday because it's what I would want for her. But I agree...would I think this if I hadn't lost her? I don't know. What a great post...thanks for the thoughts and questions.
I am not well versed in the Bible. I try, I just don't retain information well. I did a search and what I read tells me that the babies are perfect in heaven. I do believe that we will see our family in heaven when we die. I also know that without faith in the hearafter we would not be able to live in this world. I also believe that your friends little girl needed those balloons too!
"We have again the warning voice sounded in our midst, which shows the uncertainty of human life; and in my leisure moments I have meditated upon the subject, and asked the question, why it is that infants, innocent children, are taken away from us, especially those that seem to be the most intelligent and interesting. The strongest reasons that present themselves to my mind are these: This world is a very wicked world; and it . . . grows more wicked and corrupt . . . The Lord takes many away, even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again . . . .
The only difference between the old and young dying is, one lives longer in heaven and eternal light and glory than the other, and is freed a little sooner from this miserable, wicked world. Notwithstanding all this glory, we for a moment lose sight of it, and mourn the loss, but we do not mourn as those without hope.
A question may be asked - 'will mothers have their children in eternity?' Yes! Yes! Mothers, you shall have your children; for they shall have eternal life, for their debt is paid.
Children . . . must rise just as they died; we can there hail our lovely infants with the same glory - the same loveliness in the celestial glory."
Of the eleven children of Joseph and Emma Smith - nine born to them and two adopted - only five would live to adulthood. Their first son Alvin died a short time after birth. Their twins Thadeus and Louisa died within hours of their birth. One of their adopted twins Joseph died at the age of eleven months due to exposure to cold air while suffering from measles. The couple also suffered the loss of their 14-month old son Don Carlos and another baby son who died the same day he was born.
"Joseph Smith taught the doctrine that the infant child that was laid away in death would come up in the resurrection as a child; and, pointing to the mother of a lifeless child, he said to her: 'You will have the joy, the pleasure and satisfaction of nurturing and rearing this child, after its resurrection, until it reaches the full stature of its spirit. You will have a far greater joy than you can possibly have in mortality, because you will be free from the sorrow and fear and disabilities of mortal life."
Joseph Smith gave these words of comfort to two sisters who had each lost a young child in death:
"You shall receive those children in the morning of the resurrection just as you laid them down, in purity and innocence, and you shall nourish and care for them as their mothers. Your children will be raised in the resurrection just as they were laid down, and they will obtain all the intelligence necessary to occupy thrones, principalities, and powers."
For more information on the teachings of Joseph Smith visit www.lds.org. Much love.
"We have again the warning voice sounded in our midst, which shows the uncertainty of human life; and in my leisure moments I have meditated upon the subject, and asked the question, why it is that infants, innocent children, are taken away from us, especially those that seem to be the most intelligent and interesting. The strongest reasons that present themselves to my mind are these: This world is a very wicked world; and it . . . grows more wicked and corrupt . . . The Lord takes many away, even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again . . . .
The only difference between the old and young dying is, one lives longer in heaven and eternal light and glory than the other, and is freed a little sooner from this miserable, wicked world. Notwithstanding all this glory, we for a moment lose sight of it, and mourn the loss, but we do not mourn as those without hope.
A question may be asked - 'will mothers have their children in eternity?' Yes! Yes! Mothers, you shall have your children; for they shall have eternal life, for their debt is paid.
Children . . . must rise just as they died; we can there hail our lovely infants with the same glory - the same loveliness in the celestial glory."
Of the eleven children of Joseph and Emma Smith - nine born to them and two adopted - only five would live to adulthood. Their first son Alvin died a short time after birth. Their twins Thadeus and Louisa died within hours of their birth. One of their adopted twins Joseph died at the age of eleven months due to exposure to cold air while suffering from measles. The couple also suffered the loss of their 14-month old son Don Carlos and another baby son who died the same day he was born.
"Joseph Smith taught the doctrine that the infant child that was laid away in death would come up in the resurrection as a child; and, pointing to the mother of a lifeless child, he said to her: 'You will have the joy, the pleasure and satisfaction of nurturing and rearing this child, after its resurrection, until it reaches the full stature of its spirit. You will have a far greater joy than you can possibly have in mortality, because you will be free from the sorrow and fear and disabilities of mortal life."
Joseph Smith gave these words of comfort to two sisters who had each lost a young child in death:
"You shall receive those children in the morning of the resurrection just as you laid them down, in purity and innocence, and you shall nourish and care for them as their mothers. Your children will be raised in the resurrection just as they were laid down, and they will obtain all the intelligence necessary to occupy thrones, principalities, and powers."
For more information on the teachings of Joseph Smith visit www.lds.org. Much love.
We don't know for sure, and I believe that's because God doesn't want us to understand for once we start to understand Him, He is no longer as great as He should be. We can't just put Him in a box and make Him fit our mold. I believe they are in perfect little bodies up there, that they know no pain, and that we will meet them again one day. It gives me peace. I believe that peace comes from God.
I'm fine with you being liberal, this is your blog! I'm pretty conservative, but I don't think that means being judgemental, though lots of times those coincide. Keep writing how you feel on your blog! I enjoy reading!!!
I'm a big ol' liberal, too, so I am with you 100%!
I struggle so much with this, too! I like to think of Maddie up there giggling and running around, having fun. I also don't want her to know of my sadness, but definitely to feel my love. I truly think that's how God would want it.
First of all thank you so much for mentioning Tiffany's loss earlier, sorry I've been a bit MIA as we traveled to be with them.
Second, if you lose followers because of being true to who you are they really aren't much of a loss. It's important that your blog is your safe place where you can really write what you feel and although you may have some people who take offense with that I'm going to bet that more often you'll have others who relate and appreciate your honesty.
In regards to the heaven question, thats a really difficult one to answer and something I struggle with as well.
I like to think of them having a good time, playing and being joy filled. Waiting for me... for us. :) It's simple, yet it is what warms me most.
It's hard that we can only speculate what it is like up there. I wish that we knew!! I believe that they are totally happy and at peace there and there is no sadness.
Well, I'm about as conservative as they come (for most things) and didn't feel like you were saying that if you were conservative, you were closed-minded. Maybe that's because being a good little conservative, I automatically think anyone who disagrees with me is closed-minded. Ha ha, just kidding.
Seriously, though...I think there's a LOT of closed-mindedness on both sides of the political spectrum....so I just know what I believe, will share when asked, will do as convicted and will not judge as it is not may place. I don't think that one has to agree with a practice to be tolerant of it--this world is FULL of things with which I disagree, and while it's my right to voice my disagreement with the concept/value/whatever, it's my disagreement based on my beliefs. And I believe in the end, that's all I'll be judged on.
THAT said...I agree with Deni in that God is just bigger than we can really box and chart. I read a book, can't remember which one--either I'll Hold You in Heaven or Safe In The Arms of God--that was pretty decent in using Biblical scripture to reference what our babies (including sweet embryos, of course!) might be like in Heaven...not very definitive, as the Bible is not that definitive either, but I found comfort in David losing his infant son, but then telling his staff that "He would go to him"--meaning David would go to Heaven and his baby would be there...and that he WOULD recognize him. I also think about when Jesus had Moses and Elijah on either side of him and his disciples KNEW who those people were--even though they'd never really seen them (from way back in the Old Testament and no photographs!)--so this makes me believe that we WILL recognize and know those who've gone on before...
Okay...enough hogging your space.
Lots of love!
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