This is my first attempt writing prose.
I need you, my friends, to tell me how it is.
I don't really have any kids. This is just a story.
Yesterday, I took my 6 year old son out to eat at his favorite restaurant. We were sitting in those two-sided booths where another party could be sitting on the other side, right behind you. I was enjoying my potatoes and chicken when I noticed my son standing on the booth just staring at another kid who looked to be about his age standing on the other side at the booth. There they were just staring at each other. Sooner or later they just started chatting as if they were best friends.
I knew that when we got home he and I had to have a little chat of our own.
I said, "What were you doing talking to that boy at the restaurant??"
He was like, "I was just talking to him. He was funny."
I said, "You were being rude, though. You never even introduced yourself or shook his hand or said 'Nice to meet you' or did anything like that. You two just talked about nonsense. And you asked him what his mom's name was. He was there with his dad, and I know who his dad is. He's not like us, and it's best you don't just talk to strangers like that. You could end up talking to one who has been brought up like he was."
He was like, "You're the one who is rude. You barely ever talk to anyone. And everyone you know was a stranger before. How do I ever meet anyone or make any friends if I can't talk to strangers? And what do you mean he wasn't brought up like me? What do you mean he's different? He was funny and was making funny faces at me. He acted like he was a chimpanzee and was scratching the top of his head and his belly at the same time. It was funny. That was when I laughed really loud, and you said to be quiet because I was bothering the other people around us who were eating."
I said, "His dad is one of the most well-known Muslims in town. A Muslim is someone who believes in different Gods than us. You know how we believe in Jesus? They don't believe in that or many of the same things we believe in. You probably need to make sure you only talk to other Christian kids. If you talked to that kid at the restaurant for another minute, he probably would have tried to convert you to be a Muslim like him. When he grows up, we can only pray that he will learn and accept the truth so that he can live forever in heaven with us."
He was like, "Dad, my friends never talk about religion. We aren't even religious. I only go to church, because you make me. You don't let me stay home by myself yet, or I would stay home while you went. I have a feeling that he would have never said anything to me about his religion. The only time I've ever heard kids talk about Jesus or anything like that is in Sunday School when the teachers make us have discussions with each other about it. And what were you saying about heaven? That nice boy at the restaurant isn't going to go to heaven with us when he dies, because his dad is a Muslim and brought him up that way? That's not fair, daddy! When I get to heaven, I'm going to talk to God and tell him it's not fair and ask him to let everyone come to heaven. That's what I would like, dad!"
I said, "Son, you know everyone can't go to heaven. There has got to be a place for the bad people, like the people who are mean to you at school and pick on you. When bad, mean people die, they don't go to heaven."
He was like, "Well, maybe they could be punished like you punish me when I'm bad. You always send me to my room or make me do extra chores. You always punish me, and it's always only for a little bit. I still learn my lessons, you know, and I don't do it as much afterwards if at all. I know that even you wouldn't ground me forever if I did a really mean thing to a really nice kid at school, right? Maybe they could be kept out of heaven for a little bit until they learned their lesson. And when I think about that kid at the restaurant, I get so sad because he wasn't mean or bad, dad."
I said, "That's one of God's hard jobs in heaven. Sometimes, even the nice people, can't go to heaven because that's not all it takes to get into heaven. God is so good that he sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. Other than being a good person while we are here on earth, you have to also believe that this happened and believe in Jesus. If you are led astray by the devil while here on earth to believe in something different, like that Muslim family, then God can't let them in heaven. God tries to change their ways throughout their whole life, but it's their choice to accept God's love or not."
I still had some more to say to my son on the matter but at this point, he interrupted me.
He was like, "How am i supposed to know what to believe? Why should I believe what you are telling me now? You used to tell me that Santa Claus was real, and I believed you. It was another kid at school who told me that Santa wasn't real. You didn't even tell me. I had to figure it out from someone at school who didn't believe the same thing as me. You were just telling me Santa brought presents to good kids to try and make me want to be a good kid. You could just be telling me all this about heaven to make me want to be a good kid again, because I don't believe in Santa anymore. But, I just want to be a good kid anyways. With or without heaven, I want to be good, dad!"
Then he said the most disturbing thing I've ever heard him say.
He was like, "Dad, you always tell me the way to save kids is with God. That funny boy at the restaurant probably gets told the same thing by his dad, but his dad is talking about a different God. I don't understand saving those kids with God. Aren't we really just saving the kids from God? God is the one who decides who goes to hell right? I have to save the kids FROM God!"
I shook my head.
I said, "That's not the right way to look at it, son. It's hard to explain to you since you're so young, but God really does want the best for us. He only wants us to go to heaven, but he gives us the choice to choose to go to heaven with him or not. That's the most important decision that you will make in your life, son. Adam and Eve ate that fruit God said not to eat, and that really upset God. He flooded the whole world at one point. That's how mad he was at us humans. But we are the lucky ones. We get to spend our one life here on earth AFTER God decided to send his son to die for our sins, for sins that Adam and Eve committed. We are so lucky to be blessed in that way. Accept God's love son!"
We were having this conversation at the dining room table in our home, and he stood up from his chair.
He was like, "I remember one day you were questioning what you believed in yourself. You came to the conclusion that you would never understand it completely. You said that you might as well just believe in God, because if you're right, you've gained everything. You said if you're wrong, you've lost nothing. You said it's not necessarily the hope for heaven but the fear of hell that drives you to believe in all of this. What if the hell in the Bible we read isn't the worst hell? If there's another religion with a scarier hell, should I believe in that one instead? If I'm going to believe in something "just in case", I would want to believe in the religion that had the scariest hell, right?"
He buried his head in his hands for a period of time.
He looked up at me and said, "Dad, I can't figure this out. I don't know what to believe. I wish it was as easy for me as it is for you to believe."
I stood up and headed for the phone to call my pastor for guidance on how to deal with this situation.
He tapped me on the back.
He said, "Dad, if you die before I do. If you get to go to heaven,and if I haven't got it all figured out before I die. Will you save me from God?"
I said, "That's the only thing I wouldn't be able to save you from son. That's why I am trying to do what I can for you while we are both alive."
He said, "Okay, daddy. Thanks anyways. I love you. I'm going to set up a lemonade stand, now."
I laughed, and said, "Okay, son. I love you too.... How much are you selling the cups of lemonade for?"
He said, "For Free, Daddy!"