Parents’ dependent faith

Ed Drew  |  Features  |  helping children find faith
Date posted:  1 Jan 2024
Share Add       
Parents’ dependent faith

image: iStock

I have a friend who grew up in Nigeria. As a child, his family would pray before going on a journey across their city.

They never felt sure that they would arrive safely or in good time. Dependence on the Lord was the air he breathed. His parents led him every day in looking to the Lord to provide.

In the West, less is in doubt. For many of us, for much of the time, our transport is safe, our jobs are secure, our banks store our money, and our doctors are on hand for emergencies. It could be that becoming a parent is the first time we discover that we are not in control. We might try to delay that discovery. During the pre-school years we might be able to convince ourselves that we have every situation covered. We can usually (eventually) force our child to bend to our will. In the primary school years, we might be able to tackle problems through conversations with teachers, or by organising playdates and closely policing every minute that we can. We can often wipe away the tears, whisking our child out of harm’s way and wrapping our arms around them to keep them safe. But eventually, we have to acknowledge that our arms are not big enough to keep our child safe from every danger or crisis. Sometimes the threat comes from outside, through hard friendships, poverty, accidents or illness. Other times, the heartbreak comes from the discovery that children – like all of us – have weaknesses, experience failure, and are sinners by nature.

Share
< Previous article| Features| Next article >
Read more articles on:   children & youth
Read more articles by Ed Drew >>
Features
Get ahead for Christmas while the sun is shining

Get ahead for Christmas while the sun is shining

The world can be divided into two types of people: the planners and the deadliners.The planners get straight to …

Features
Frank conversations  around puberty

Frank conversations around puberty

I remember hearing my parents talking about me in the next room: ‘He must be going through puberty.’ I felt …

About en

Our vision, values and history.

Read more

Looking for a job?

Browse all our current job adverts

Search