As we all know too well, we’ve found ourselves in unprecedented times. Yes there have been pandemics and plagues before. Yes Christians have had to deal with them. And yes, Christian parents have had to work out how to chat to their kids about it. BUT… we haven’t. We’ve never been through this before. And in our SUPER SANITISE ME western society, we pretend death isn’t a thing. Our kids don’t come into contact with death in way that is even close every single civilisation before us. So they are remarkably unprepared to encounter it if it comes their way. Into their community. Their school. Their family.
But death is coming. It is hard to imagine that the death toll won’t continue to climb in the lucky country. And whatever the case – everyone is freaking out. Grabbing toilet paper like hot cakes. Wait… that was last week. Now it’s cleaning products and frozen veges.
So what do we say to our kids? What do we tell our toddlers when they ask, “why can’t we go to the park mummy?” Or to our older kids who have heard from their friends that we’re all going die from this disease? How do you explain why daddy (or mummy…) isn’t working more, or why mummy (or daddy…) is so stressed at the moment?
Our instinct can often be to try to protect our kids by sheltering them. But I want to say no. I will tell my kids the truth. I will share in their disappointment and grief. But I also want them to share in my hope for eternity. I want us as a family to be on the forefront of showing Jesus’ love to this messed up world in real, tangible ways. So I’m going to talk to my kids about 3 things during this time.
Fear. Trust. Love
FTL
There are so many variations on these 3 things that I’ll pull out in future posts. But here’s a little taster to get you going.
Fear
Our society clearly fears sickness and death. But we fear God. What does this look like? How do we talk about it? How do we shape our kids fears? Great questions. Stay tuned.
Trust
Who do we trust in during this time? Our medical professionals? Our leaders? Trump? Or do we trust the Sovereign Lord who is in control of Covid-19? Do we trust him in this season, and for the final day? How do we help our kids trust in the right person? Stay tuned..
Love
God is love. How? How is that true now? How can you help your kids feel that now? How can you help them tell their friends that it is true, and how it is true? And how can you help your family follow Christ in a life of love? Such good questions. And again, stay tuned.
AND – please shoot any questions that you might have in the comments. I would love to address particular things on this issue.
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