for death…
And help to prepare others – your spouse, your children, any family member and any other person God wants you to help.

AS A LITTLE GIRL I WAS NOT PREPARED for the death of my aunt whom I loved like a mother. Listen to me.
I remember not being allowed to go to her  funeral. She died too young: cancer. I was named after her. For some reason her nickname was Lulu. I was called little Annie when she was around (which was quite a bit) – never little Lulu. She was either Annie, big Annie or Lulu.

Aunt Ann was truly like a mother to me. I loved her that much. In my childhood years I was already making marvelous plans to live with her for a year or more until I got married. I knew that would be so much fun!! I saw her as remaining the same: very pretty, young, fun, and healthy. Such are the dreams of a little girl…

Selah.

But she wouldn’t be…

Aunt Lulu, as we children all called her, died in her thirties and I had no idea she would leave us, especially that soon, at her very young age. As a child of six or seven even I knew it was too soon for this precious woman to die. Because her death came to me as such a shock it was even harder for me not to be allowed to say goodbye. I was not allowed to go to the funeral: a choice to this day I still believe was wrong… I remember my mom telling me: “I thought you knew how sick she was.” How could I? I was at the oldest seven. No one ever told me. Aunt Lulu was beautiful! She was full of fun and love! How could anything possibly be seriously wrong?! I knew no such thing! This made her death harder for me.

Selah…

Once as a child I asked my mom how the world started. Remember please, we didn’t go to church (except I did twice as a little, little girl) and I was never taught about God from my dad or mom. One time I asked my mother how the world began. She told me about Adam and Eve. Naturally I asked her if she believed it. Thinking my mother knew a lot about important things (as most children do) I will never forget what she said: “I don’t know.” I do. It’s true. The Bible is true. Because of this, we know all men  – all people – who love God and are counted His children – die once (or are caught up in the clouds to meet Jesus in the air.)

Once again I was watching a family series where there was death remembered: parents. I was thinking, like me, children should be prepared, not to lose a loved one, but given the hope of seeing them again. I didn’t have that with the family I grew up in… Never being taught to pray, (except that scary prayer), never being taught who God is and how to live a holy, God-given, separated life, I thank God I came to serve Him before I died!

Selah.

Death must be faced: and it must be faced with truth, for those who reject truth will be forever separated from God. Death, beloved, is the final enemy and it is only a shadow:

 

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

 

Here are the kind of things you can tell a very young child upon the death of a family member:
“When someone dies they go to their forever home. When they love God and tell Him they’re sorry when they’ve done something wrong (and we all have) He will be your Father. God will be your Father and His Son will be your Savior. God will be your comforter.

He knows that you are sad that _________ died. Your Father in Heaven is sad for you for a time. But, He doesn’t want you to always be sad because, you see, _________ will not always be away from you: you will go to him. He’s not sad! He has seen God, his Father, and he knows you are coming. It doesn’t matter how long.

You need to ask your Father God to tell _____________ you love him! You can do this every day, especially when someone just died and you are really, really sad. God understands. People who love God don’t stay really, really sad. They look forward to meeting each other in Heaven! That’s the truth!

 

PLEASE NOTE: if a person didn’t go to Heaven, you are not sure, or you don’t think so – only God knows – so go ahead and give that child this hope! It wouldn’t be wrong! You need to plan for your life – eternal life! Here are Scriptures to give you the plan for your very joyful eternity – an eternity with God, your Father, (that is, if you so choose Him to be) and with all those you love (if they have also so chosen!)

 

 

John 3:16-21
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God

 

Revelation 21:3-4
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

 

 

 

MORE SCRIPTURAL TRUTHS FOR THIS JOY STORY:

 

 

Hebrew 9:27-28
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

 

1 Corinthians 15:26
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

 

John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.