A Child's Wisdom

About 10 days ago I sat on a porch swing with 2 young friends. One is 7 and I'll refer to her as "S"; the other is 10 and I'll refer to her as "Z". It was a clear, beautiful mountain evening and we had been swinging for 2 or 3 minutes when "Z" looked over and said:

"Miss Julie, we only need to be afraid of bears here, right?"

Not wanting them to be freaked out or unreasonable I replied, "well, not afraid as much as aware they could be around. We also need to be smart about it."

She seemed to accept that answer when "S" said, "And mountain lions. We need to be afraid of them too. They jump on you and bite the back of your neck."

Z said, "Well, if a mountain lion bites my neck I'm going to bite his ear!"

S: "You can't bite his ear because you'll be dead."

Z: "Well, dying isn't so bad. It's just your body that dies. My spirit is going to heaven because I know Jesus. Plus, I'll come back with a body to rule with Jesus when He comes back."

I sat there dumbfounded and eeked out a very quiet, "You're right, Z, you're absolutely right." I put my arm around her shoulder, hugged her close to me and kissed the top of her head.

The truth is, I have been fairly afraid of death these past few months. Not so much the being dead part but rather the dying part. I know I'm ready spiritually for the afterlife but I'm just not ready to leave Steve yet...or my family...or my friends. I just don't feel like I'm done yet.

I actually had to seek some counsel about this a few months ago because this particular fear is contradictory to my faith. I was assured that this is normal although the person who counseled me said most of the time he has that conversation with someone in their 70's or 80's. He further said it's one of those things that really catapults a person's spiritual growth and until we come to terms with it, we aren't ready to fully and completely live. That provided some comfort.

But here was this 10-year-old who gets it. She has no fear. As I told her mom about this conversation she got tears in her eyes. It isn't the first time she's heard that. Apparently the two of them have had similar conversations. "Z" says things like, "I'm ready to go, mom." I can't even imagine! I would cry too.

Simply amazing is the only way I can describe this child's faith and wisdom. I believe this is why the Apostle Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12 (ESV) to "let no one despise you for your youth."

So, as I continue to work my way through this fear and come to terms with my mortality, this conversation rings over and over in my brain. No doubt I'll arrive, hopefully with as much grit and tenacity as my young friend.