Mommy, Is This the Road Home?
By Julia A. Keirns
(This article was published at themestream.com on June 24, 2000)
My five-year-old daughter and I were on our way home from shopping in the city. It was just the two of us. We were listening to Christian music on the radio, singing Jesus songs. (That’s what she called them.) She loved singing Jesus songs. We had just finished singing our hearts out to a foot-stomping tear-jerker, when out of the blue she asked me a question…
“Mommy, is this the road home?”
It was the perfect question. It gave me the perfect opportunity to talk to my young daughter about the “real” road home.
Immediately I found myself struggling for the right words. What should I say? Yes, I thought, this is the road to our physical home, but the “real” road home is the one that leads to heaven. That sounds good, I thought. Now, what else should I say? I should tell her that if we always trust Jesus, and ask Him to show us which way to go, He will always lead us home. Our “real” home is waiting for us in heaven, and the only road there is through Jesus Christ. That is why we trust Him as our savior. Someday, Jesus will come to take us all home and when that day comes, all we will have to do is follow Him and let Him lead the way.
Yes, that is what I should say, I thought to myself. That was the perfect question, and it was the perfect opportunity.
“Yes, honey,” I finally answered. “This is the road to our house, but…” I turned and looked at her. She had fallen asleep. In my hesitation I had lost the perfect opportunity to teach my daughter something about Jesus Christ. But, she was my daughter, and perfect opportunities came about almost daily with her. Not with others though. Perfect opportunities were few and far between with other family members and friends.
As Christians, we are taught to win and disciple people for Jesus Christ. It doesn’t sound any easier than it is. While trying to win and disciple people for Jesus Christ, keeping your eyes and ears open for the perfect opportunity is crucial. But, just having the perfect opportunity isn’t going to do you any good unless you actually open your mouth and say something. One way to get past that, is to prepare yourself ahead of time. You should know what you want to say. You could practice in private, and then when the time finally comes, you should trust Jesus to guide you and give you the right words to say. Then, when someone asks you a question like, “Mommy, is this the road home?” you won’t hesitate and lose the perfect opportunity to teach someone you love something about Jesus Christ.