How should moms and dads answer the questions their kids have about the evil events in this world? There is no easy answer. I surely don’t have all the answers, but here is how we explained it to our children.
APPROACH YOUR CHILDREN GENTLY BUT HONESTLY
- Always make it age appropriate. Parents know their children and need to use discretion.
- Attempt to put it in terms they will understand.
- Don’t share too much details.
- Don’t let them watch the news. The news sometimes glorifies in evil.
- Pray with them and pray for them.
- Hug them and show them your love in ways they understand.
QUESTIONS ABOUT EVIL AND SUFFERING
- Explain to them that this world is broken. This world is not the way God designed it in the beginning. God made everything perfect in the beginning (Genesis 1-2), but people rebelled against God and brought sin, death, disease, natural disasters, and evil into this world (Genesis 3). Now everyone suffers different things in this world because of this rebellion caused sin. Some people wear glasses because their eyes are broken and do not work right. Some wear braces on their legs because their legs do not work right. Some are born sick from birth. Some are born with their minds broken and not able to think properly who become very disturbed people and do very bad things.
- Evil is real. There is such a thing as pure evil. Lucifer was a powerful angel of God who wanted to take over Heaven. God kicked him and his followers out of Heaven. We call them Satan and demons. Satan is a real being who hates God, hates God’s creation, and hates people who are made in the image of God. His desire has always been to rule over God and remake everything into his evil distorted image. There is such thing as demon possession where Satan’s demons inhabits a person and controls their life. God loves life and living. Satan loves death and the glory of death.
QUESTIONS ABOUT GOD
- God does not want these bad things to happen. He wants us to be His presence of good and shine His light of truth, love, and justice into the darkness of this world. He wants us to stand up for what is right, honorable, and good. He wants us to stand against the evil and injustice of this world.
- Why did God let this happen to these people? I don’t know. God did not do this. God did not make this happen. Yes God is bigger than Satan and all evil, and He could have stopped this. But God gives people the freedom to choose and make decisions on their own. Some people choose to radically reject God and his ways and choose to follow Satan and his ways. There is a real battle between Light and darkness, God and evil. When darkness seems to be overtaking us, it simply means the light is not shining as brightly as it should.
- Where was God? God was and is there helping the families through this evil act.
- God is on a mission to fix this world. God made this world perfect, Satan came to destroy it, but God sent Jesus to make the broken things right again and to destroy the works of Satan. Jesus came to be our Savior and whoever follows Him will live with Him forever. He is coming back one day to destroy completely Satan, all his workers, and all his works. King Jesus will take all his children back with Him to Heaven to be there forever. We cannot fix this world ourselves, only Jesus can do this. He is God and will make all things new one day. Nothing evil will ever enter Heaven or happen there ever! (See Revelation 21 about Heaven)
QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT TO DO IF THEY HEAR GUNFIRE.
- Tell them your family plan if they hear gunfire.
- Tell them their school’s policy and plan if a gunfire is heard.
QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT TO DO
- It is ‘OK’ to cry for them.
- Pray for those families who were directly affected. They need God’s help during this horrible time and the years ahead as they heal through this.
- Pray for our government leaders. God’s Word tells us to pray for our leaders that we may live a quite and peaceable life. (See 1 Timothy 2:1-7)
- Do not be afraid. Fear will destroy your life. The Bible teaches that fear of people and Satan will destroy your life. God wants us to understand that we only need to fear Him. Yes, fear God. A healthy reverent fear of God will help. God is able to create and destroy all things. He is able to throw a person’s soul and body into Hell. Fearing Satan or people is just saying to God that He is not able to help you because He is not powerful enough. (See Luke 12:4-7, Matthew 10:26-33)
- Trust Jesus, walk through this life with faith in Jesus moment by moment. Faith is the opposite of fear. Believe Jesus will help you through whatever he calls you to go through. Believe Jesus that He will help those you pray for. (See Romans 8)
- As a follower of Jesus, always remember God is with you! Believe this! See Romans 8 says about those who God is for!
- Walk in the peace of God. When you are truly walking by faith, God’s peace will fill your life. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13 (ESV)
- Don’t ever give up! Keep walking by faith, trusting Jesus moment by moment!
