God is with us

Reflections for children's time

I remember when my young son discovered that our car had been broken into while we were traveling. Much of the luggage was stolen. While my husband spoke to the people who owned the parking garage, Joel had to sit in the car and wait. He told me later that to stay calm, he sang himself a song. At the time, he didn't know where he had learned it and thought perhaps the words had been given to him to comfort him. They had been. The song goes like this:

"Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

You also know the story of the child alone in her room who was terrified during a thunderstorm. Her mother reminded her that God was with her and would take care of her. The child replied, "But I need someone with skin on!"

In the midst of the tragedy and horror of Tuesday's attacks, what our children need to know is that God is with them and the adults around them will care for them. How can you give this assurance to children during your time together on Sunday morning? (And, of course, the adults in your congregation need the same message.) A few suggestions:

• Encourage children to sing songs that remind them of God's love and presence.
• Say together and memorize Bible verses of comfort.
• Give them something soft to touch to take to bed with them to remind them that God is with them. Depending on the age of the child, this could also be something to stick in the pocket to take to school with them. Just be careful of possible chocking hazards.
• Ask them to draw a picture that reminds them of God and people who care about them, and will keep them safe.

We can't lie--we can't say we can stop what happened to others from happening to our children. We CAN say that God is with us no matter what.

May God bless you with words and gentleness as you comfort the fearful among us, and may you give yourself space to feel God's comfort yourself.

Peace,
Susan Mark Landis, minister of peace and justice