Yesterday Babyboy was with me at the grocery story when a friend saw us and started telling me her grandmother was in the hospital and not doing well. She was upset and said her grandmother was 94 and she didn't think she was going to live much longer. She was very sad. After we went on to do our shopping the lady came back to me and said she just got a call and the doctors had told her father it would not be much longer and there was nothing else they could do for the grandmother. My friend was crying a little. When we got to my van Babyboy wanted to know what was going on and why Jen was crying. I told him she was sad because her grandmother was very sick and would probably die soon. ( He is almost 7 now by the way.) He was putting on his seatbelt and just as matter of fact as could be he said, "You are not supposed to be sad because when you die you just go live with Jesus." I was so shocked that he said that even though I teach him and the other kiddos in my class at Sunday School. I guess I was just shocked that he had been paying attention. We had a talk about how it still makes us sad even though we were glad our loved ones are with Jesus and that it is normal to miss them. I gently talked about the need to give our hearts to Jesus and he seemed to understand. I love my sweet boy and just wanted to share his wisdom about grief and dying. Oh one other thing. I told him if I died it would be okay if he was a little sad for a while and he said, "Okay but you would just be with Jesus so it would be okay". Made me feel pretty good.
John 11: 25-27 Jesus said to (Martha), "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord!" she answered. "I do believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." (GNT) What a sweet intellegent little boy!
Faythe was six when her friend Danielle died in a car crash. We were going to visit her family, and I had told the kids we were going to "Danielle's house". Phillip, three at the time, said, "But Danielle's dead." And Faythe corrected him: "Her BODY is dead, but her SPIRIT is living with Jesus!"
When my mother died, I told my son to tell his son (then just turning 6) that GiGi had gone to live with Jesus, and no, we won't be seeing her anymore until it's our turn to go live with Jesus too. We had already explained that GiGi was very sick, so sick that the doctors can't make her get better, so that when it was time, she would go live with Jesus and be healthy and happy again, and she'll wait for us to go meet her when it's our turn. He understood quite well. Sometimes little ones have a much better understanding than we give them credit for. Simple faith. Like Jesus said we should have. "Become as little children."
It's hard when your kids ask about family members who have died and didn't believe in Jesus. I just repeat "if they believed Jesus died for them they will be in heaven". They do know about hell, but it's harder for me to talk about it.
