Eight-year-old Ashley walked into the hospital, timidly holding her mom's hand. "I don't want grandma to die," she said.
Mom stopped walking and knelt down next to her. "I know you don't, honey. You love grandma very much. But she's been sick for a long time and hasn't gotten any better, so we need to be prepared." Mom squeezed Ashley's hand. "Remember what we talked about last night?"
Ashley nodded. "Since Grandma believes in Jesus, she will have eternal life with Him." She sighed. "I just don't understand why He won't make her better now."
"I don't either, but remember that Jesus will be with us too," said Mom. "Death is hard for everyone, but we can take comfort in God's truth because we have faith in Jesus. Let's trust Him to help us through this."
Ashley continued with Mom to Grandma's hospital room, where they visited and read the Bible with her.
The next morning, Dad came into Ashley's room and broke the news that Grandma had passed away during the night. Ashley buried her face in Dad's chest, and they shed a few tears together. "At least she's with Jesus now," Ashley said.
Dad nodded and wiped his eyes. "Thanks for the reminder, honey."
The day of the funeral, Ashley walked nervously into the church. As they went up to say their final goodbyes to Grandma, Ashley told her dad she wanted to tell everyone something special. Dad let her go up to speak.
"Even though my grandma isn't here anymore, I know she is with Jesus," Ashley stated proudly. "She trusted Him as her Savior, and because He died and rose again so we could live with Him forever, I know I'll see her again one day."
Everyone in the crowd smiled at her as she took her seat. Her parents dabbed their eyes as the pastor stood up.
"The Bible tells us we must have the faith of a child to enter God's kingdom, and today Ashley has reminded us what that looks like," said the pastor. "Even in the face of death, we know Jesus has given us life and we can trust Him to do what He has promised." Alexis Wohler
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you ever dealt with the death of a loved one? Or a divorce in your family? Or a parent losing a job? This world is full of painful experiences, and sometimes it’s hard to understand why God allows them to happen. But even when you face pain and loss, remember that Jesus loves you and promises to make everything right one day. Trust Him even when you don’t understand.
TODAY'S KEY VERSE: Matthew 18:3 (KJV)
“Truly I tell you,” [Jesus] said, “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (CSB)