One of my kids asked me, “are we going to get the Coronavirus?” That was a tough question as a parent! I didn’t want to promise my child something that might not happen and at the same time, I didn’t want to strike fear into the heart of my child. My mind began to scramble and build a structure of words that would best answer this question.
Ultimately, I failed to design the perfect answer in my head to administer to my child. In the end, I had to simply tell my child, that while I am uncertain about the future, we are certain of God’s faithfulness and thus we can trust that God will work everything out the way He planned.
In helping my child, I realized that there are countless children who also need help and encouragement. As children’s pastor, I am committed to help and minister to the kids in our church. Here are a couple thing that we did as a kids’ ministry.
Teaching Videos
Let’s face it: most kids love watching videos. Whether it be YouTube, Netflix, TV, or any avenue of screen time, this is part of their world. Even though we couldn’t have a service in a church building, we could bring something to the kids technologically and use it to help kids stay encouraged and connected.
Our kids’ ministry decided to engage kids through pre-recorded videos that included humor, practical responses to life, and Bible truth that focuses on God. We kept these videos to about a five-minute time frame so we didn’t overwhelm the kid’s screen time while they were finishing school via Zoom. We also implemented daily devotionals where I would teach Bible truths designed to encourage kids during the quarantine.
Encouraging Deliveries
There were quite a few kids that struggled with the quarantine and we had some leaders that found very creative ways to encourage our kids. Some leaders wrote letters to their kids that included small crafts that would help remind them of God’s goodness. Other leaders brought some treats to the homes of the kids via “ding-dong ditch” method! We simply put a ding-dong box of goodies with a card on it, set it on the front door, rang the doorbell, and ran away. This was a safe and effective method of letting our kids know that we were thinking of them during quarantine. Both the parents and kids were grateful and encouraged.
Pointing to Jesus
All of these efforts were used to point kids to the Gospel. During this pandemic people are living in a legitimate fear for their lives, but the Gospel renders the power of fear useless because of the hope that we have in Christ after death. In John 11: 25 we read, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” Being transparent about our own fears to our kids is important for them to see, but a focus on the finished work of Christ is what will sustain us and our children. They must know that while the days ahead are unknown and always changing, we have an unchanging God who can lead us through.
Responding in faith and courage during a life-changing moment is so vitally important for our kids to see. They need to see that we are not perfect but we serve a God who is. To know that Christ is our savior and to believe that God has our best interest, communicates to our kids that God is real and He is the person to run to when difficulties arise.
Every opportunity we had to encourage our kids was a bigger opportunity to point them to Jesus. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of helping our future generation to trust God during life-altering events by putting their faith and trust on the Lord Jesus Christ. We can greatly help our kids build strong faith if they see a living example of it. I encourage you to learn, know, and trust God then, pass that on to your future generations!
tReflecting on who God is during our difficult times is so vitally important to kids. This goes without saying, but kids are watching everything we do. Deuteronomy 6:20 states, “And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you?” A difficult situation is always an opportunity to reflect God’s goodness. We may not have every answer but we have a God who can lead us through unknown territory.
Navigating a pandemic with children was and is a new experience for all of us. Trusting the character of God is the foundation to know how to handle our lives day to day.
The days ahead are still unknown but we have a God who can be known by us and who knows all things. The best thing we must do right now, is let our kids see an amazing God doing a real work in our lives day by day.