This past week has been HARD. I've spent time crying, praying and questioning how we as believers respond when horrific things happen in our world. The truth is that we cannot expect goodness, truth and compassion in a world living in darkness; following the "murderer from the beginning" and "father of lies" (John 8:44), the one who only seeks to "devour" (I Peter 5:8) and to "steal, kill & destroy" (John 10:10).
We in the US are blessed to have freedom to practice our faith, to serve Jesus and to share the Gospel openly with others. But, I fear we've also been lulled by these freedoms, taking for granted the benefits we've been given. We've become so focused on politics, on our "rights", on arguing with other believers about things that have no eternal value, and about protecting ourselves and staying safe. And in the process we've lost sight of what DOES matter. We have not been called to a life of protectionism...we've been called to lay down our lives for the Gospel (Mark 8:34-35).
These are things I wrestle with. As a mom, I want my kids to be safe; it's easy to think that it's all on us to keep them safe. As Christian parents our responsibility is to raise them to know God! A friend often says "there is no junior Holy Spirit"; it's a great reminder as parents. God knows the maturity of our kids but when they accept Him as Savior they receive the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11). God's got them, they can NEVER be snatched from His hand (John 10:28).
So what do we do when we hear about an 18 year old taking the life of his grandmother and then head to a school and taking the lives of 19 elementary children? Or another church denomination plagued by those in power taking advantage of the vulnerable in their own congregations..and more...being protected by others in those organizations? Or when we see a madman decide that he wants to rule more of the world and bomb maternity hospitals and other civilian sites? Or when those in our own government try to pass a law stating a woman can kill her child on her due date? You can certainly contact your government officials about these things; I'm not here to argue politics, because again, that's just a distraction. Here are three steps that are supported by Scripture on how we are to live our lives.
When we feel helpless we can:
1. Pray! The world mocks prayer because the devil knows it is the most powerful weapon we have. We have access to the God of the Universe; we are told we can boldly enter the throne room of the King of Kings (Hebrews 4:16) and He will NEVER cast us out! (John 6:37) While we can't completely fathom this; just a glimpse from Scripture gives a window of what a privilege this is; and lest we think God doesn't care...He tells us that He holds every tear! (Psalm 56:8)
2. Faithfully teach our children! Our kids need to be taught from an early age that there is truth, there is a God who is the definition of Truth (John 14:6, John 17:7). That they need Him (John 3:16) and any good gifts come from Him (James 1:17). We also need to teach them that there is a God given authority and instructions for this life (Ephesians 6:1-4). We cannot solve all the problems in this world but we are each called to be faithful with where and who God has put us. We are to keep our focus on Him!
3. Be the light! (Matthew 5:14-16) An attitude I have noticed within the US church is one of protectionism and pride. We see evil in the world and instead of reaching out to minister and share the hope & peace of the Gospel we shrink back into our corners and wrap ourselves and our kids more tightly into our "Christian Cocoons". I get it! Often that's exactly how I feel, I want to run away with my family, keep them from having to deal with all the evil in this world. But that is NOT what we are called to do! We are called to share the Gospel and make disciples (Mark 16:15) and we are to go out because how are people to believe if they never hear the "word of Christ" (Romans 10:14-17).
I don't have the answers, I struggle with these very things but here are a few questions I've been asking myself lately:
- How can the world ever change if we never share Jesus?
- How would the atmosphere and culture of our public schools change if MORE Christians sent their kids to them? If we as Christian parents were on the PTO, school committee, volunteered? How would this change our communities as we became more involved?
- How do we discuss these events with our kids; keeping them informed but not living in fear?
- Is this all a sifting and a wake-up call? To pull us out of our lulled, sleepy state; to show the wolves in sheep's clothing within our midst? To show how desperately those around us need the love, hope and peace of Jesus?
- What CAN I do to follow God's call on my life better?
