Death of a Loved One

This week’s Brite lesson reminds kids that Jesus is with us when we are hurting. Losing someone we love can bring a lot of sadness and questions, and kids need to know that they can bring all of those feelings to God.

Grief can look different for every kid. Some may want to talk about the person they lost, while others may have a hard time putting their feelings into words. Kids may also wonder why God allowed someone they love to die. We may not have an answer for every question, but we can remind them of what we do know: God loves them, He cares when they hurt, and He is with them in their sadness.

This week, if your kid brings up someone they miss, give them time to talk and listen without trying to explain away their sadness. Pray together and thank God for being close to us when we are hurting.

Here’s how we discussed this topic and how you can discuss it at home: 

Discuss: Can you think of a movie or a book where a kid experienced the death of someone they loved?

Discuss: What feelings might someone have if someone they loved died?

Discuss: What do you think God has to say about that?

Say: You may have heard someone say that if God was real, people we love wouldn’t die. However, the truth is everyone dies eventually. Death was not part of God’s original design but came as a result of Adam and Eve’s sin. The world is so broken that living forever on Earth would be terrible. When someone believes in Jesus, dying allows them to go to heaven where there is no pain or sadness or sickness. However, it is very painful for those of us who are left behind. When we lose someone we love, we can know God is very near to us. Psalm 34:18a says: The Lord is near to the brokenhearted. It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to be angry. We can talk to God and we can talk to adults we trust about how we are feeling.