In my opinion, there is nothing harder to teach a child than faith.
To trust in something or someone you do not see, and whose actions can be unpredictable? So very hard to teach to a young mind that requires proof and logical reasoning.
When Mike was in the hospital and we feared a bleak outcome while we prayed for a full recovery, I struggled with what to tell our children.
We raised our girls on Bible stories. We took them to church and enrolled them in a Christian private school in their elementary years. They received more Biblical instruction in their young lives than most of their peers.
And yet, I knew they were still very young to have much of a faith journey.
I wanted them to have faith in a God who heals and performs miracles, big and small.
But I also wanted them to be prepared for the worst.
When we finished praying one day, I told them, “You know, God is not a wish fairy.” I told them that God loves us, but He is not a granter of wishes. That God’s ways are not our own, and answers to prayer are sometimes not what we expect.
That whatever outcome came to pass, we had to trust in His wisdom and mercy.
And that we can always trust in His great love for us. And for Mike, especially.
Boy, was I desperate for them to know and believe these things!
I wanted so badly for them to grow in their faith and not fall out of it, should the worst happen.
So we prayed a lot and sang worship songs. To each other and to Mike (on video calls).
Our favorite song to sing in those days was “Way Maker”, originally written by the Nigerian singer/ songwriter Sinach and later covered and popularized by Michael W. Smith.
Through this song, we were reminded that God was at work in our midst. And always has been.
That God is “way maker, miracle-worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness.”
This song brought us great comfort and helped us to notice the ways in which God was faithful to us:
in the love of friends and family He gathered around us;
in the unexpected kindness of strangers He placed in our path;
in the timely provision of things we didn’t even know we needed until they were available to us;
in the compassion, stamina, and capability of Mike’s care team.
I told my children that we were like Elijah by the brook in Cherith, where God sent him food during a drought by way of ravens. (We literally had people leaving us food at our doorstep.)
And that, as our lives felt upended, we were to remember how Jesus calmed the waves and the winds in a small boat on a lake.
And when the worst outcome for Mike happened, I mustered up every bit of courage I had and told my children, “God answered our prayers, my loves. He ended Daddy’s suffering.”
And, “God has not forgotten us. I promise.”
I still believe these things today.
And, with over a year of perspective, I feel that my children are convicted in these beliefs as well.
Looking back, I am grateful for His faithfulness. And for the words He put in my mouth to make Him real to our girls. For the songs He used to touch our hearts and influence our thoughts. And the numerous demonstrations of faith and faithful living by our loved ones and church family.
And I continue to pray that our children never forget how He is always working in our lives. That they will always see the ways in which He loves all of us unfailingly.
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