6 Humble
yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due
time. 7 Cast all your
anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be alert and of
sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour. 9 Resist him,
standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers
throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of
all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered
a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and
steadfast. 1 Peter 5:6-10
Kids and Bad News
As a parent, we feel very deeply about protecting our children. We
even become tempted to shelter them from any bad news that would be difficult
to share or tough for them to comprehend. (we do this with grownups, as well)
Even in the New Testament, leaders were confronted with how to
navigate a crisis. Believers who were very deeply devoted Christ, were faced
with loss of homes and livelihood, and even persecution. In other words, bad
things were happening to good people.
The Apostle Peter sits down and writes a few lines to the elders of
the church, who were helping families deal with bad news on a daily basis. In
this letter, Peter reminds caregivers of a few basic truths about God’s
watchcare in all of our lives.
Peter had learned how to trust Jesus. He had literally been through
the storms with Him. I pray you do not need to refer to this blog, at any time
in the near future. But, someone much wiser than me once said, there are
many storms in this life and we are usually in one of three states. We are
about to head a storm, we're in the middle of one, or we are just coming out of one.
I have put together a few reminders we can share with our children,
when confronted with bad news. You alone should decide what news is age
appropriate, and the amount of details to share. But, when the news is bad, these points
will serve as an anchor during rough weather. Be sure and tell your child...
1.
We are in God’s hand. Nothing can remove us from God’s care. His love
for us is not changed by our circumstance. His grip is tight. We are surrounded
by His grace, and He is still in control. (v.6)
2.
We can tell
Him what is wrong. There is no lack of faith in acknowledging the bad news.
Trust is knowing that He is taking care of us, even when things are going
wrong. Bad news does not prove anything about God. But it can prove our trust
in Him. (v.7)
3.
We will look
to the Bible for guidance. We will not handle bad news by allowing the enemy
any access in our life. We do not need to look to the ways that people who have
no faith, cope with difficult situations. This will not take us out of our
faith walk with the Lord. (v.8)
4.
We have
people around us who can help, because they care about us and they know the kind of thing we are going
through. We are not going to become isolated and draw away from our church
family. We can pray with other people and get good advice from those we look to
for leadership. They have faced bad news, and still trust in Jesus. We are
helped by being a part of God’s family. (v.9)
5.
God will
help us get through this. There will come a time when we will not hurt this way
inside. God will help us feel better and show us how to remember His love.
(v.10)
Prayer:
God, We know
you are with us, even in this bad time. Help us to get through this, as we
trust in your love. We pray for others who are going through bad news, and we
thank you for the people around us who love us. We know you are with us right
now and will stay with us every step of the way.
In Jesus’
name we pray, amen.
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