Jesus “Respawned”: Explaining Life and Death To My 9 Year Old Son

This week my 9 year old son Ethan George was taking a bath when he called for me.

Papa?

I jumped up fairly quick as his voice seemed a little distressed only to find him in the tub with his eyes welled up with tears and his lip quivering uncontrollably.

“Papa, where will you and mommy be in 2-1-0-0?”

Admittedly, I was a little confused and probably showed it, so he asked again clarifying the year 2100. Now Ethan George is bright and beautiful kid…

… yet he also happens to be on the autistic spectrum.

Because of this, he often processes things a little differently and sometimes marches to the beat of a whole different drummer. Later my wife Tammy explained to me he’s studying history and has had to create a ‘timeline’ for class which probably prompted the epiphany he was presently experiencing.

“Well sweetheart, your mommy and I probably won’t here anymore in 2100.” I said.

“Where will I be in 2100?” he exclaimed, Will I still be here?”

I quickly did the math in my head. Born in 2010…he’d be 90 years old. With advancements in medical tech…probably a good bet.

“Yes son, you’ll probably still be here in 2100” I answered.

This is when he really lost it. Suddenly the tears came flowing and he said, “You mean me, you, and mommy won’t be together anymore?. I’ll be all alone?”

My heart broke as I saw him putting the mortality pieces of the puzzle together and reaching the conclusion this doesn’t end well. It must be overwhelming for a 9 year old…

…but it was here my faith in Christ came in.

“It’s really all about Easter”

I mean we all have that existential moment; when mortality hits us square in the face and the knowledge that death and separation will be our final destination comes flooding in.

Except that’s when Easter comes and provides a different ending to the story. Death and separation being the final verdict gets replaced with Hope, Life, and ongoing relationship with God and others.

Armed with these thoughts in my head I helped Ethan George out of the tub and explained to him about Jesus, new life, resurrection, and Easter. We spoke about it together, father to son, and slowly the tears receded replaced with a bit of hope mixed with some healthy scepticism.

“You mean Jesus… respawned? You and mommy, and me are all going to respawn? he asked feeling a little more consoled.

Leave it to a 9 year old to see Christian theology through an X-Box One world.

“Yes, respawn,” I answered, “something like that.”

Ethan George went on to pepper me with more questions about Jesus and “respawning.”

“How long after I die do I have to wait to respawn?

“Where will I be when I wait to respawn”

“How old will I be when I respawn? Will I be a boy or a man?

“That’s it son“, I thought to myself as I tried to answer him, “keep asking. Don’t just take what I say as a given beyond question. Test it. Critique it. Make your eventual faith and belief real.

By the time Ethan George was dried and changed the tears were mostly gone. I looked him direct in the eye, and ended our discussion with,
“Because of the love God has for us, you will never be alone. That I promise you!”

We hugged and the lesson ended…

Peace and Buen Camino,

Steve