With newspapers awash with headlines about terror attacks, terrorists, suicide bombings and the like, it is no surprise that people everywhere are a little nervous about the current state of affairs. With our eyes fixed on the countries leaders to hear what they plan to do about it all, we are encouraged to hear things like “Enough is enough” and “Things need to change,” (May) or, “We will continue to fight terrorism with all its powers,” (Macron) and “This wicked ideology must be obliterated,” (Trump)
The recent bombing at a pop concert in Manchester, which was attended mostly by teenagers, claimed 22 lives and left 116 people injured, and was sure to have sent chills down the spines of every parent watching the news unfold. “What if that was my child?” The youngest victim was an 8 year old girl, and scrolling through the heartbreaking tributes to those who were killed, makes us realise that every one of them could easily have been a friend, aunt, son, daughter or neighbor. Just regular people, doing regular things.
And as we were all trying to carry on as “normal”, being strong in the face if it all, and not allowing terrorists to rob us of our freedom, there was another attack, less than 2 weeks later…
So what do we do? Especially as parents whose first instinct is to keep our children safe. We might be able to keep them home under lock and key for a while, but eventually we’ll have to open the door again… Anne Graham-Lotz, daughter of Billy Graham, has a different perspective, and one that Christian parents would be wise, and comforted to adopt. She says, “To keep them safe we need to teach them the truth – the truth of a dangerous world and a loving God.”
We can’t protect our children from every harm, no matter how hard we try. Our responsibility as Christian parents is to instruct our children in the ways of the Lord, so that they will serve Jesus and go to be with Him in Heaven when their time on this earth is up.
We need now, more than ever, to speak to our children about their loving Father, to be there to answer their questions, and to always point them to God’s Word. As Jesus Himself said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
Article compiled by Louise Carter
