Death and Promise

I guess in our house we’ve never sugar coated life. We’ve protected, loved, hugged, all in an effort to keep the bad stuff from invading their little beings. We circle certain topics or use simpler language. We only go as far as we need to go to make them understand. But no, we’ve never lied or shielded them from the realities of life. If a question is asked, in our house it will be answered.

So, when the subject of death came up, I’m not sure how or why, we were honest with our kids. We shared with them our belief that God’s original plan was for us to live forever but that that had to change when sin entered our world. God still loved us so he made death easier. He offered us the gift of eternal life when he comes back to get us. In the meantime, we have to say goodbye to those that die. They are buried, to sleep and rest for that wonderful second coming.

I find hope in this promise, as does my husband, so when we share this with our children we let them know that it’s okay and it’s natural and it’s the life we have here. They know we are at peace with this and therefore they are at peace with it. It doesn’t mean they won’t have more questions later or that they won’t cry the first time they lose a pet or someone they love. It does mean we will be there to talk about it, remind each other of God’s promise and wait, wait for his return.