FEBRUARY 4, 1 Corinthians 15:55

Jonathan ducked as a bee buzzed by, barely missing his head. He watched the bee settle on a flower before moving on. “That bee was so close to your head, he almost gave you a buzz cut,” joked Dad as he came up behind Jonathan.

Jonathan didn’t laugh. He had something else on his mind. “Dad,” he said, “can I ask you something?” He hesitated, and Dad waited quietly. “Grandma died weeks ago, but I’m still sad about it,” Jonathan said at last. “Is that bad? I mean… aren’t Christians supposed to be happy all the time?”

“It’s natural to feel sad,” replied Dad. “We all loved Grandma very much. We miss having her with us, and that makes us sad.” Dad put an arm around Jonathan’s shoulders. “Death came when sin entered the world, but for Christians, death is not the winner. Even when we’re sad, we can feel good about the fact that death can’t really hurt us.”

Jonathan looked up. “What do you mean… it can’t hurt us?” he asked. “Let’s see… how can I explain it?” Dad thought for a minute, then asked, “Why were you afraid of the little bee that flew by a few minutes ago?”

“Because I could have gotten stung!” said Jonathan. “That hurts!”

Dad nodded. “If it didn’t have a stinger, would you still be afraid of that bee?”

“No,” replied Jonathan, taking a quick step backward as the bee zoomed by again. “At least, not as much,” he added.

Dad smiled. “That’s how it is for Christians,” he said. “Death is like a bee without a stinger. It’s still scary, and we don’t like it, but we really don’t have to be afraid of it. Grandma loved God and has accepted Jesus as her Saviour, so she is now free of pain and sorrow and death. She died on earth, but she’ll live in heaven forever.”

“So it’s okay to feel sad because I miss Grandma,” said Jonathan, “but at the same time, I should feel glad because I know she’s not really dead. She just went to live with God.” Dad smiled and nodded.

Thought: Through Christ, we have victory over death!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us victory over death. Even if I am sad that a loved one has passed away, if he or she is a Christian, then I know I’ll see him one day when I go to heaven. Thank You for this blessed assurance. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.