Losing a loved one is devastating. And it can be difficult to share the news with your kids.
Matt Maher explains how to talk to your kids about death and loss.
I just tell my kids the thing that I wish somebody maybe would have told me when I was a kid. My dad’s father died before I was ever born, and so I’d ask questions about him. And people were always like, well, he died, period. But if you’re a Christian, that’s not the end of the story.
What I did with my kids when my dad passed away, and I had to tell them, I said, guys, I have some news I have to tell you. “Well, Grandpa, you know, his health wasn’t very good. He was very sick. Well, last night, his body stopped working, so his soul couldn’t stay here and had to go to heaven. That’s where Jesus wanted him to be. And so he’s still alive. In fact, he’s more alive than he’s ever been. It’s just that his body gave up.”
One of the things that’s hard when you’re an adult, and you’re going through loss, yourself, and the grief of it, is how do I translate this to a child?
And I think for me, in the moment, I just wanted to tell them the news that I was clinging to, that I believe with all my heart that God knew my dad, and my dad knew Him. And he’s with Him.
My advice would be to focus on the hope and reality, not even just the hope of heaven, but the reality of heaven. It’s real.