By Misty Baltazar
Note for parents: This story discusses Adventist beliefs about death in child-friendly language. For more information on this topic, see Wednesday’s lesson in the Alive in Jesus curriculum.
Jennifer sat very still on Grandma’s couch. Uncle Jerry had been living with Jennifer’s grandparents since he became sick. Jennifer felt as if everyone in the family had been in and out of his room the last few days. Jennifer and her Mom had also come over more often lately. Some of the people visiting her Uncle cried when they came out of his room. Everyone looked sad and talked quietly to one another.
Finally, Mom and Grandma said goodbye to the last few people at the door, and Mom came over to sit next to Jennifer.
“How are you doing, kiddo?” Mom asked, pulling the young girl in for a hug.
“I’m fine,” Jennifer said. “Is Uncle Jerry still sick?”
Mom let Jennifer go and brushed the girl’s hair out of her eyes. “Yes, Uncle Jerry has been very sick, and he’s getting ready to sleep. He won’t be hurting very much longer.”
Jennifer looked a little confused. “All he’s been doing this week is sleeping. How much more rest does he need?”
Mom turned to look at Jennifer, and a small smile made her face look slightly brighter. “The kind of sleeping I’m thinking about is a bit different, Jennifer.” Mom took Jennifer’s hand in hers. “When Jesus made us, he wanted us to be healthy and live forever. Sin has ruined that for us, though. Now we have weak bodies that sometimes fall apart and will eventually stop working.”
Jennifer played with Mom’s watch while she talked.
Mom held up her wrist. “It’s kind of like my watch. When the battery runs out, it just stops working. The watch can’t do its job anymore, so it rests until we give it a new battery. When the battery is replaced, the watch starts up again like it never stopped.” Mom glanced at Uncle Jerry’s bedroom door.
“Come with me,” Mom suggested softly. She held Jennifer’s hand and led her to the room where Uncle Jerry was sleeping.
Uncle Jerry had been set up with a hospital bed that had rails so he couldn’t fall out. A monitor on a pole behind him was beeping softly. The room had a strange smell, but Jennifer didn’t mind it much. She was just worried about her sick uncle.
“Uncle Jerry’s battery is almost all used up,” Mom continued. “Soon he will stop breathing and fall asleep. The next thing he will know is opening his eyes to see Jesus coming to take us all home to Heaven.”
Jennifer looked up at Mom. “Will he have bad dreams when he’s asleep?”
Mom hugged Jennifer tightly. “No, sweetheart, he will just have a very peaceful sleep. Do you remember when you fell asleep in the car on the way here? One moment, you were listening to music, and then the next moment you were waking up in Grandma’s driveway.”
Jennifer looked up at Mom thoughtfully. “Yeah, I thought her house was farther away, but we got here really fast.”
Mom pulled a blanket off the chair by the bed and motioned for Jennifer to sit in her lap.
“Yes, it seemed really fast for you, but it was a bit longer for me.” Mom continued. “Uncle Jerry will be asleep until Jesus comes. Just like you during your nap, he won’t know about anything in between. We will know, though, because we are still alive. We will miss him and think about him a lot, but we know we will see him again.”
Jennifer reached out and touched Uncle Jerry’s warm hand. “What if Uncle Jerry is still sick when he wakes up?”
“He won’t be, and that’s the coolest part,” Mom smiled. “When Jesus comes to wake up all His people, they will be perfect. They will have no sickness and no pain. They will have perfect bodies and clear minds.”
Jennifer sat straighter and smiled a little. “I wonder what Uncle Jerry will look like. Maybe he will be taller—and have hair!”
Mom laughed and tickled Jennifer’s knees. “Yes,” she answered as Jennifer giggled. “We will all be perfect when Jesus comes. Then we will all go to Heaven with Jesus in His cloud of angels.”
Jennifer turned a little then and lay her head on Mom’s shoulder. “What if Uncle Jerry doesn’t recognize me? What if he forgets me or I forget him?”
Mom rocked Jennifer gently for a minute. “We won’t forget. We will miss him, and that’s OK. You will remember the fun things you did together and how much he loved you. How could anyone ever forget a sweet, funny girl like you? It’s good to talk about him and help each other not be so sad. Just knowing that we will see him again helps.”
“Like when we went on vacation?” Jennifer asked. “I could write some of those things down so I won’t forget even the silly little things.”
“Yes,” Mom answered. “That’s a great idea. We should probably give Uncle Jerry some quiet time. It’s been a long day.”
“OK, Mom.” Jennifer stood up and went to the side of the bed. “Can I have a minute to talk to him? Will he hear me?”
“Yes, he can hear you,” Mom walked to the bedroom door. “Come on out when you are ready, and you can help me make some sandwiches for Grandma and Grandpa for dinner.”
Jennifer nodded and patted Uncle Jerry’s hand again. “Hi, Uncle Jerry. It’s me, Jennifer. I’m going to go home soon and start drawing more pictures of us. I’ll take good care of everything for you while you are sleeping. I love you, Uncle Jerry.”
Uncle Jerry’s hand moved a little, and Jennifer knew he was saying that he loved her too.
