August 14, 2020
Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives his beloved sleep.
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
Are the children of one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
Who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
When he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
My mind has been ruminating on some heavy thoughts this week. This always seems to happen when we find our sense of safety invaded. No matter what the statistics say or how much we hear in the news, things don’t really hit home until it is close to us. This happened to me this week. A five-year-old boy was intentionally shot and killed while out riding his bike. While I did not know the family personally, it happened in my town, in the neighborhood behind where our church meets! My idea of safety has been invaded. As a mother of two, I’ve been drawn up short thinking about how I could keep my children safe. The truth is, I can’t!
Our children are a blessing from the Lord. He has given us our children and we are instructed to care for their needs and to teach them the truth God has given in his word. We are not guaranteed that our children will always be “safe”. We are not given the guarantee that we will always be “safe”. There are areas where we can live or work that make us feel that we have more control of a situation. We may be more comfortable in one neighborhood over another; however, we are never really any more or less “safe” than God wants us to be. He is in sovereign control of everything. Whether we are sitting at home, sitting at church, sitting next to someone homeless, or sitting with those without hope, we are still sitting in the place that God has placed us at that moment in time.
So why does God allow these “bad” things to happen? Why do they happen to children? I don’t know all of the particular reasons that God allows these things to happen, but I do know some general reasons. I know that we live in a sin-cursed world. Though God created the world perfect, the sin of Adam and Eve has consequences that continue throughout every generation. There are none that are “good”, all people deserve hell and destruction for their sin. By God’s grace, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to come and exchange places with sinners. Jesus came and lived a sinless life, died, taking on the full wrath of God for sin, and rose again, defeating sin and death. Through the work of Christ, God takes his enemies and makes them his children! These children are saved by God’s grace alone and continue on this earth for the glory of God alone. Even though we can be saved from our sins, we are not, on this side of heaven, completely free from our sin nature and the effects of sin.
While we are in this world, we face the consequences of both our actions and the actions of others. There are “natural” consequences, such as hurricanes and earthquakes. These phenomena do not discriminate. There are also human actions which can have varying consequences. It is rare that human actions affect that one person. Often, the consequences extend to people we know, other people involved (such as victims) and the people that know them as well. Though God restrains sins, and things aren’t as bad as they could be, bad things still happen. We need to trust that God’s sovereign will is the best, even if we don't understand why certain events are allowed to happen.
I have learned that no matter what I do to protect my children, I ultimately have to leave their lives in God’s hands. There is nothing I can do to protect them beyond what God has ordained. That being said, I still believe I should provide for my children’s needs, teach them safety measures, and be aware of our surroundings when we venture out. However, I can’t allow the fear of what might happen keep me from sharing the Gospel.