Dear Peace Parents and Families,
It’s been very disheartening to see and hear about the terrible acts of violence and war that are occurring in the Middle East; it’s even more tragic to see and hear how those acts of violence have affected children and families and communities and countless innocent people.
It’s times like these when it’s important to turn to our loved ones for support and to God in prayer. As we also navigate how to discuss violence with our families, I’d like to share “A Prayer for When Your Child Sees Something Scary on the News,” written by Kayla Craig:
“O God, You hold the world in Your hands, so You know when we hurt and when we ache. You feel it too—the beat of our living hearts, reverberating into you.
Our Children are perceptive, and their brains and hearts have absorbed news of unspeakable things. How do we see You in these headlines? How do we pray when we don’t have words?
Help us enter into conversations with our child. Let Your love be a raft when we feel like we’re sinking. Help us resist the urge to say situations are better than they are. Help us to be honest and gentle as we invite our child to express their emotions—their sadness, their fear, their frustration. For in naming our feelings, we can move through them together.
As we sit with our child and stare into the brokenness of humanity, we pray for eyes to see You. May we learn from our child what it is to be moved to tears. And will You give our family hearts that cling to hope even when life is scary or feels out of control?
O God, You are constant in turbulent times. You are unchanging, and we can trust you to be with us even when we feel like we’re reaching out for You in the dark.
God, give us wisdom to know how to parent our child as they metabolize the pain of our world. Help us tend to their heart and hold them with care, just as You do for us.”
May these prayers guide our hearts and our conversations, and may God bring peace to all nations and all peoples.
Grace and Peace,
Joe
Other Notes:
- For those wanting to attend the 2024 ELCA National Youth Gathering in New Orleans, please submit your registrations and $150 deposits by Sunday!
- Trunk or Treat is coming up in just a couple weeks–please sign up to host a trunk and give out candy to all the kids–anyone can do it!