A few nights ago, in a town not so far from where I live, there was a tragic shooting involving 6 people. Three of them, teenagers, were wounded – one fatally shot in the head. As details of the shooting were revealed, my family realized that the man shot was the son of someone close to my mother. He was only 18, just a kid – so much life left to live. And to think of his parents – it still brings tears to my eyes.
As parents, we worry on behalf of our children. We have fears that they will fall into the wrong crowd. Fears that they will fall away from the church. Fears that they will not grow up to be the people we know they can be. So. Many. Fears.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, those fears kept me awake at night. I started having second thoughts about bringing someone so innocent into such a sinful world. I couldn’t imagine explaining death and murder to my child. Explaining to her that sometimes people do things without thinking, because people are evil. And the world is fallen. And sometimes it feels like there is no hope.
But that’s the thing, right? There is hope. The world is evil, but Jesus is good. And He has not forgotten us here.
And, too? Jesus cares about our children. That’s important to remember, I think. He cares for them so much, he has numbered the hairs on their head (Luke 12:7). He knows them, and cares for them so intimately that he knows things about them even we parents don’t know.
He knows that raising children is hard, and He promises to guide us, knowing that we are embarking on an important endeavor (Psalm 121:3).
Let’s remember this together as we hug our children a little bit tighter tonight. And rest easy knowing that God’s protective hand is hovering in the near distance.
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