How Do We Talk About Death with Our Kids?: An Interview with Tim Challies | Ep. 125

“Mommy, what happens when someone dies?” When our kids ask us about death, answering can feel intimidating and even sad. How much should we share? What can they understand? Will we scare them? In this episode, Emily and Laura interview Tim Challies about how to talk to our kids about death. Tim is a husband, father of teenagers, pastor, and writer who encourages us to bring the conversation about death back to our children’s hearts and the hope they have in Jesus. We don’t need to worry so much about what to say to our kids. God gave us what we need in his word to teach our kids the victory of the gospel in the face of death.

VIEW TRANSCRIPT MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

• Devoted: Godly Men and Their Godly Moms, Tim Challies

• Challies.com

• Tim Challies on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter

RELATED ARTICLES, RESOURCES, AND CONTENT:

Related R|M resources:

• Kids Abide Cards for Bible Study

• R|M Abide Method for Bible Study

Around the web:

• “A Christian Perspective on Grief” CCEF On the Go

• “5 Ways to Talk to Your Children About Death” - Jeff Robinson

• “How Being Honest About Death Brings Hope” - Matthew McCullough

• “How to Explain the Gospel to Children” - John MacArthur

• “#blessed” - Trillia Newbell

• Goodbye to Goodbyes, - Lauren Chandler

• Holding Onto Hope, - Nancy Guthrie

• “Do Pets Go to Heaven?” - Ask Pastor John

R|M APPLY QUESTIONS:

1. Our kids will ask big theological questions. How do you feel when one is lobbed your way? Have your kids asked about death? After listening to the interview, how would you describe a theology of death to your kids?

2. Any conversation around death will eventually end with God’s judgment or grace, which makes it a launchpad for talking about your child’s heart. How can you explain the need for Jesus? What specific examples in your child’s life can you use to show their need for a Savior?

3. When children press to know if pets (or neighbors or friends) will be in heaven, it’s often because they equate “forever happiness” with being with the things and people they love. What are some specific people, pets, or things your child may expect to be in heaven? How can you point them to the true joy that will be waiting for believers in heaven? What examples can you give them to make them most excited to be with Christ?

4. We all feel pressure to have perfect theological answers, because we fear misleading our children or misrepresenting God. But it rests on God to change our children’s hearts. How can we be faithful in sharing scripture’s truths with our children without fear of “messing up”?

5. There are hundreds of resources for how to teach your children, which is a gift from God. But the even greater gift is the gift of his own words in the Bible to train us in godliness and biblical knowledge. We have what we need for gospel-centered motherhood through his word and his Church. How can you invest more time in Bible study? Is there an older woman in your church you could reach out to for counsel?

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