An Empty Room

This morning when I woke up and walked out of our bedroom, I saw an empty bed and an open door. I immediately thought of our oldest son who is away at golf camp this week, but also thought of the fact that in a few years, his room will be empty because he'll be leaving for college.  Then I thought of the fact that our daughter will be leaving soon...in August.  I'm not liking the thought of these two empty rooms one bit! Thankfully there are two more rooms of with two boys, at the other end of the house. Those rooms are will be full for a while, and I'm thankful they will be!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.”

⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.  John 14:1-7a

We don't like to see our children missing from their rooms.  We don't like their empty rooms (well, probably some of you do, but I don't....we don't.)  But, you know what would make me even sadder?  To see their empty room in Heaven.  In the scriptures above, Jesus told His disciples that God has many rooms and that He himself was going to prepare a place for His followers to live some day.  I don't want my children to be missing from those rooms! I pray that you do not, either.

In verses following the passage above, Jesus tells His disciples to believe in Him and to keep His commands.  He tells them to do good works because through their works they are showing their love for Him.  

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 

John 14:12

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

John 14:20-21

No empty rooms.  That's what I want to see in Heaven, don't you?  So, because of that, while our children are here at home and in their rooms, we are actively teaching them and training them in the way they should go.  We're teaching them about Jesus.  We're teaching them about God. We're sharing God's Word with them and pointing them towards Heaven.  We look forward to seeing them in their rooms - their rooms in Heaven - some day.