Vol. 8  No. 11 (July, 2011)

Dolls In Heaven?

Jonathan Reeder

A little girl once showed her cherished doll to her mother. “Mama,” she asked, “will I be able to have my doll in heaven?” The mother replied, “Don’t worry dear. I’m sure God will make sure you have everything you need in heaven.” Satisfied, the girl went away while the mother began to do some serious thinking. She began to wonder whether or not she considered heaven in the same immature way. So many times she heard fellow Christians say childish things about what they expect to enjoy in heaven. A brother who practically lived on his fishing boat once foolishly declared that if there was no fishing in heaven, he didn’t see much point in going (and he half meant it!). On another occasion she overheard some ladies talking after a moving congregational singing. “Oh how I love to sing! Wasn’t the singing beautiful tonight? Did you hear the wonderful harmony?” The conversation then moved on to how they couldn’t wait to be in heaven where they would be able to sing all the time. Hearing their own melodious voices was what they truly looked forward to. A moment of serious introspection came upon this mother. What had she always anxiously anticipated in heaven? The promise of eternal rest was very appealing (Rev. 14:13), as was the end of all disease, war, sin, and sorrow (Rev. 21:4). She wasn’t quite sure, but the possibility that she could be reunited with all her loved ones was the only thing that kept her going sometimes. Most importantly, she would never worry about dying anymore. Talk about eternal bliss! But was she still only motivated by her own selfish desires? She carefully read through the last two chapters in Revelation to find the answer. Yes, she found that it was right to look forward to rest and the end of all evil—God promises us those things for that very reason. But what she found is that she was being a little self-centered, for she left out the most important part of being in heaven: GOD.

The mother came to this conclusion: heaven will not be about me, but all about God. Sometimes we are no better than the little girl. Always remember that in heaven we will join the innumerable host and eternally praise our Creator, Lord, and Savior (Rev. 7:9-10).