What do you tell children who are afraid of what is happening in
the News?
When children hear about a gunman
shooting police officers or a bomb blowing up people in the mall on the news
report, their mind and heart are overwhelmed. The fear that gets into their
psyche produces anxiety which may come out in nightmares, abnormal timidity, or
negative behavior.
What can a mother say? Number one, don’t put the child down with
some quick remark like “that’s foolish” or “you shouldn’t think that way.” How much better to listen, ask questions, and
give the child a chance to express what is in their heart.
Can you be honest enough to say that
sometimes you get scared too when you hear these things? Let the child know that it isn’t uncommon for
even big people to have these feelings. When someone understands, it opens the door to
hope that maybe things will be okay.
Love is greater than fear, so take the
opportunity to hug the child and let the young person know that you love him
(her) so much. And how much more is God’s love for each one of us? What a powerful time to pray together asking
Jesus to get rid of those bad fears with His perfect love, and to protect our
family from all the evil in the world.
Encourage the child to say his own prayer asking Jesus to help him.
If the child is old enough to understand, this may be an open
door to explain about sin, which leads to evil, and that is why Jesus died on
the cross, to pay the price for all evil. Sometimes when things go wrong, people realize
they need Jesus’ help. God wants every
person to come to Him. Besides what
Jesus did 2000 years ago when He became man, someday, Jesus is going to come
again and make everything right. Then
there will be no more evil, or crying, or death.
Often the evening news only tells us about the bad things that
are happening, but God is doing a lot of good things too. For example, the news reports all the trouble
in Syria, Iraq, and in the Middle East where there are a lot of Muslim
terrorists. But on the other hand,
consider how God is opening hearts to turn to Jesus. “From 1960 to 2010, the number of Muslims
that have converted to faith in Jesus Christ has grown from fewer than 200,000
to some 10 million people”1(Joel Rosenberg) Ten million people brought into
the kingdom of God forever is so much greater than the trouble.
The child who is afraid needs our comfort and help to restore
hope that his world is not falling apart.
The truth is that it does look that way many times, but we also know God
is greater and He has a plan to put an end to all evil. Jesus rose from the dead and overcame all
sin. He will come again and make all
things new. Come, Lord Jesus!
