I know that when I think of my loved ones dying, I like to think of them entering the pearly gates of heaven, getting sized for their very own angel wings, and on their way to meeting The Holy trinity. However, that isn't always the case.
See, this life, here on earth, is very important as far as our eternal lives go. What we do plays a factor, the type of people we are, the good deeds we do; but the BIGGEST deal breaker of all is whether or not we believe and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The truth is, more people than I would like to admit, are NOT going to heaven. And dying doesn't not automatically make you a saint. If you believe in heaven, and are going to teach your kids about it, shouldn't we make sure they know the consequence of not following Christ?
HELL!!! (Imagine your own flames, and devil horns all over the word) When we first started talking about death, I was guilty of only telling the kids about heaven. "Oh Sweet Face, Spiderman (The beta fish) died, but he is in fishy heaven, where he has an endless supply of lean water, and food." It was more pleasant that way, less scary. But what I didn't realize is that I was actually causing Sweet Face harm, by not telling him the truth. (And honestly, I didn't tell him, because I don't like to think about the alternative to heaven.) Again, I think it is vital to live according to Christ that we recognize what could happen if we allow ourselves to be led astray. What a better conversation would have been is this: "Oh Sweet Fae, I am so sorry that Spiderman died. If you would like, we can pray for him, and his soul, and hope that Spiderman believed in the fishy Jesus Christ so he could get into fishy heaven."
And then hopefully that would have led to a discussion on the "other" place. As it is, I hadn't but my darling little Peanut has asked about hell, and we sat her down, and discussed it in a very detailed, but childlike way. Hell is a place where you never get hugs. You cry and cry, and no one ever says sorry, or holds you or cuddles you. There are no mommies, and you are always feel like you have boo boos. There is no love in hell, no kisses, no unicorn, or twonicorn (Her stuffed unicorns) No beds or blankets, no toys, no nothing, except its hot, and dark, and you can hear people scream and cry for help, but you will never see them. Doesn't that sound awful?" (Even as I type this, I am overwhelmed with empathy for all the lost souls their. It must be awful, yet I am so glad I will never see it) "Yes, I never want to go their" And she won't, as long as she keeps living for God, and bringing others to Christ, and always recognizes who Jesus Christ is and what he had done and is doing.
Sure heaven is far more fun, but discussing hell does two things, shows how great heaven is and why it is so important to never stray. The Bible says there is only one way to Heaven
Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6) So let's educate our kids, equip them with the right things, so that they have a better chance than most of us. Let them know the truth, so when it comes time to make their own choice, they have ALL the information! There is Death, and some of us go to heaven, and some of us go to hell, hopefully they will make the decision to go to heaven.... Have you?
See, this life, here on earth, is very important as far as our eternal lives go. What we do plays a factor, the type of people we are, the good deeds we do; but the BIGGEST deal breaker of all is whether or not we believe and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The truth is, more people than I would like to admit, are NOT going to heaven. And dying doesn't not automatically make you a saint. If you believe in heaven, and are going to teach your kids about it, shouldn't we make sure they know the consequence of not following Christ?
HELL!!! (Imagine your own flames, and devil horns all over the word) When we first started talking about death, I was guilty of only telling the kids about heaven. "Oh Sweet Face, Spiderman (The beta fish) died, but he is in fishy heaven, where he has an endless supply of lean water, and food." It was more pleasant that way, less scary. But what I didn't realize is that I was actually causing Sweet Face harm, by not telling him the truth. (And honestly, I didn't tell him, because I don't like to think about the alternative to heaven.) Again, I think it is vital to live according to Christ that we recognize what could happen if we allow ourselves to be led astray. What a better conversation would have been is this: "Oh Sweet Fae, I am so sorry that Spiderman died. If you would like, we can pray for him, and his soul, and hope that Spiderman believed in the fishy Jesus Christ so he could get into fishy heaven."
And then hopefully that would have led to a discussion on the "other" place. As it is, I hadn't but my darling little Peanut has asked about hell, and we sat her down, and discussed it in a very detailed, but childlike way. Hell is a place where you never get hugs. You cry and cry, and no one ever says sorry, or holds you or cuddles you. There are no mommies, and you are always feel like you have boo boos. There is no love in hell, no kisses, no unicorn, or twonicorn (Her stuffed unicorns) No beds or blankets, no toys, no nothing, except its hot, and dark, and you can hear people scream and cry for help, but you will never see them. Doesn't that sound awful?" (Even as I type this, I am overwhelmed with empathy for all the lost souls their. It must be awful, yet I am so glad I will never see it) "Yes, I never want to go their" And she won't, as long as she keeps living for God, and bringing others to Christ, and always recognizes who Jesus Christ is and what he had done and is doing.
Sure heaven is far more fun, but discussing hell does two things, shows how great heaven is and why it is so important to never stray. The Bible says there is only one way to Heaven
Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6) So let's educate our kids, equip them with the right things, so that they have a better chance than most of us. Let them know the truth, so when it comes time to make their own choice, they have ALL the information! There is Death, and some of us go to heaven, and some of us go to hell, hopefully they will make the decision to go to heaven.... Have you?
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