I spent part of the weekend at our local hospice facility with a family who ultimate lost a husband, father, and grandfather. It was sad, gut wrenching, and sacred at the same time as we shared prayers, stories, tears.

Which leads me to my daughter, Abbie. Abbie has been praying daily for healing for the person that ultimately died. While Abbie is five, we try to explain most of life in ways that she can understand. This morning in the car, Abbie asked about 10 questions in a row about death and what happens when we die. I answered her questions the best that I could (attempting to answer on a 5 year old level). But there is a reason that death is a great mystery. We just don’t really know.

Sure, we have faith as Christians that while we die- we have life (even eternal life) through Jesus. We cling to passages like 1 Corinthians 15 where Paul speaks of Jesus’ resurrection as evidence of our future resurrection (Christ is the first fruit of the resurrection). 1 Corinthians 15:51 says

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raise imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe istelf with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

Death is a mystery- but our hope is this: Through Jesus’ resurrection that death has been swallowed up in victory. We who are in Christ share in that victory.

There is more that I could write and ponder on the subject- but I’m thankful that Jesus has defeated life’s final enemy death- and I cling to the hope of resurrection.

If you’re a parent- how have you talked to your children about death? If you’re a parent of a young kid, do you avoid the subject? What’s worked? What hasn’t? How do you ground it in discipling your kids and teaching them scripture?