Parenting Points
“The sky is falling!” The warning of imminent danger from all around sounded by Chicken Little is a phrase that could easily be spoken over the last year and a half. Pandemics, racial tension, rioting, uncertainty, and political divisions are all skies collapsing in different areas around us.
The anxiety and chaos of these and many other problems are going to leave the world in need of deep processing, counsel, and therapy. As parents, are we passing these anxieties and stressors on to our children? Or do we view the world by faith knowing that the end of the story has already been written?
In The Pandemic Population, Dr. Tim Elmore describes the current state of children and students’ post-pandemic world: “On the outside, they’re clowning around on Snapchat and TikTok, laughing at memes and making others laugh at filtered photos on social media. Inside, however, their mental health has gone south. It appears their life is a comedy, but in reality, it feels like a tragedy. They are mourning just how overwhelmed they feel – how behind they assume they are and how much they’ll have to make up in order to catch up.” Our children have struggled more than they know how to admit and more than we even understand. When it comes to difficult circumstances and moments, how can we respond from a position of faith instead of the anxiety of Chicken Little?
By remembering three key truths:
1. God Reigns as Sovereign. Isaiah 6:1a ESV says, “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.” Despite the chaos of a changing ruler, God sat and reigned as sovereign on the throne. He is not caught off guard by chaos in our world.
2. The Story Has Already Been Written. Revelation 22:20b reminds us, “Surely, I am coming soon.” Jesus will return. He is the Author of the story. We can have hope that He holds our lives and stories also in His hands.
3. Our Hope Is in a Different Kingdom. Revelation 21:5b says, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Our hope is that Jesus will come again and make all wrongs right and make everything the way that it was meant to be. Our ultimate hope cannot be found in this world.
-Dr. Ben Birdsong
Missions Minister at Christ Church Birmingham
Writer and Speaker
