Do you grow up in heaven?
One of my big worries has been that Julia will grow up in heaven and I will miss out on all her development. I've wondered if God is outside of time or will somehow warp time so that I don't have to miss a day with her. That sort of thinking may stem more from science fiction or platonic philosophy rather than Biblical theology. In my previous blog I wrote about anticipating the new creation, and how heaven is not necessarily outside of time and space but right here among us, preparing us for life in the new earth.
If heaven, or God's dimension, is still on earth's timeline, then how do I get past my FOMO (fear of missing out) on Julia's development? I believe Julia is growing with Jesus right now. Some part of her character and personality and cognitive skills is maturing with Jesus. She is becoming her best self. One day she will have a resurrected body and I don't know what "age" that body will be at that point. But here is what has helped me internally:
My mother-in-law said to me, "When you're a mother, you always recognize your baby. Whether Mike is forty years old or two years old, he's always my baby. Don't worry, you'll recognize Julia no matter what she looks like."
When Jesus came back in his resurrected state, nobody recognized him at first glance. There was something different about him. He seemed to altar the laws of physics (John 20:19). But then they quickly were able to see that it was the same Jesus who taught them and ate with them. His body was his own: He still had the scars from his wounds (John 20:27). He still cooked his favorite breakfast (John 21:12).
When Julia was visibly here on earth, I was delighted and surprised by every step of her development. I knew that most kids learn to roll, and crawl, and walk and talk, but when Julia did it, I was so surprised. There is nothing like witnessing your own kid's development. I believe Jesus will keep surprising me and delighting me by how Julia develops. Whether he reveals it to me on this side of the new creation or on the flip slide, Jesus will keep revealing it to me. I don't have to worry about missing out. And I don't have to worry about predicting it. It's going to be delightful.