Helping Kids Cope

By Jeremy Bond

September 11, 2001 will forever be remembered as one of the most tragic days in American history. Parents may be wondering how their kids will remember this day. Young children will treat this day as any other, unaware of the terrible violence that struck our nation. Thank God for this. However, older children will be fully aware of what has happened and no doubt will have many questions. They will be turning to their parents and pastors with questions that may seem unanswerable. Ask God to give you wisdom for each situation. Here are some suggestions for parents to help their kids through times of world crisis.

Limit the amount of television coverage your children watch. News reports can be especially scary for kids. Not only are gruesome pictures constantly being shown, but reporters and experts will be offering many opinions on what is yet to come. Many of these theories may include world war, nuclear bombs, or future attacks on America. These theories may or may not come true, but they will only add fear to an already worried child.

Display a calm and confidence that comes only from Christ. Your actions will greatly influence the reactions of your children. It is easy to get caught up in the emotion and trauma of the moment, but we cannot let fear control our actions. We know that God is with us no matter what happens on earth. “In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and rescued me. The Lord is for me, so I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Psalm 118:5-6 (NLT). We know that God will triumph. We know how the story ends. Assure your children that God is with them. Worrying does no good. Seek comfort in Christ.

Assure your kids of their salvation. Times like this undoubtedly get kids thinking about their own death. If you know your child has Jesus in his or her heart, then offer assurance that they will live in heaven forever. Try to avoid praying “just in case” because this tends to fuel the idea that salvation is not secure. Instead, offer a prayer of thanks for all that Jesus has done for us (including our salvation). However, if you don’t know if your child has prayed to receive Christ, then now is the time to talk about it. They can have assurance of heaven by simply asking Jesus to forgive their sins and loving Jesus more than anything in the world! (John 3:16, 1 John 1:9, John 1:12)

It’s okay to not know all the answers. Kids may ask some tough questions. “Is Jesus coming? Is this the end of the world? What’s going to happen to all those people who died?” We may not have all the answers, but we do have the THE answer, Jesus Christ. Focus on the awesome joy that we experience now as a part of God’s family and will experience for eternity.

Jeremy Bond is Pastor to Children and Families at Central Church of the Nazarene in Lenexa, Kansas.