Death

My four year old was playing under the table.  I heard him talking and wondered what he was doing.  So I asked, "hey, who are you talking to?"  "Death" he replied.

Should a mother panic at this point???

"Who?"

"My friend, Death" he maintained as innocent as can be.

He continued with his 'imaginary' friend 'Death' for several years.  I can't think of any reason for him to be preoccupied with death.  There had not been any deaths in our family that would have given him a abnormal obsession with death.  There has never been a concerning element to this 'friendship' that he had with his imaginary friend.  Although I cannot recall any of my other children having imaginary friends like this, the way that he spoke and interacted with his friend 'Death' gave me no reason for concern.

I wondered at this.  I thought about how weirdly beautiful it was.  He found joy in this relationship.   I questioned whether there was something that I could learn from it.


I guess it can be challenging to consider death and freedom together.   Most people fear death.  Our survival instincts are amazingly powerful!  Death is not something that we pursue or even look forward to.  I am not equating death with freedom in that aspect.  But could there be freedom in death, or in the absence of the fear of death, or both?

Do you think that fearing death could produce bondage?

Sure.

Do you think that receiving death when it comes without fear would be freeing?

Sure.

Do you think that living in a way where we have no barriers of fear directing our decisions and actions speaks of living in freedom?

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me."
Psalm 23:4

Could I, like Esther, walk down that 'shadow' because it was right regardless of the risk to my life?

Being free to make the right choices because we are not bound by the fear of death, is FREEDOM.

Could I, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego choose death over compromise?

Isn't this real freedom - when you're free to do what you believe is right no matter the consequences?