Chasing the Monsters Away (see image link below)
I suppose all children are afraid of monsters (of some kind) or afraid of
the dark at some point in their childhood. And while well-meaning
psychologists have sometimes made too much of this phenomenon, such fears
are no doubt tied to a child’s feelings of smallness and helplessness in a
big, big world.
It seems almost universal that people, children included, are afraid of the
unknown. We fear the things that may lurk in the dark, because we cannot see
them or understand them. They may be watching us or even stalking us and we
are oblivious to the danger until it is too late. What if something is
hiding under the bed or in the shadows of my closet, and I don’t know it?
When I fall asleep, it might come out and grab me or even devour me.
Pray is a great way to help any child overcome their fear of the unknown.
For that matter, it is a great way for adults to also overcome the same
basic fear. What if the house catches fire, or somebody breaks in, or what
if a wind come along and blows us all away?
We need to understand that God is greater than anything we may fear. And if
he is our Keeper, then we know we can get through any situation that might
ever develop. We can overcome the fears and the actual dangers themselves,
if we are trusting in God.
As a teenager, I had overcome my fears of the dark. I was already on my own
at the age of 15, and I often hitchhiked around the United States. I was not
a real Christian believer, even though I had joined a local church.
One thing I did before each trip: I prayed. Before I left Houston, I would
pray and commit everything into God’s hands. I committed my own life and
health into His care, since hitchhiking is a very risky business. I would
commit my poems and writings into God’s care, leaving them at my mother’s
house. And that was about it, since that was all I owned in the world. Then
I would set out.
I always returned home again safe and in good health. My few writings were
also safe whenever I returned for them. A small thing, I know. But in such
experiences, I learned that I could trust God, just as Jesus teaches us that
we can.
We should teach our children to pray real prayers, from the heart, and to
voice all their concerns to God each day, and each night. Our Lord will hear
every genuine cry from the heart, and he will not fail to undertake for
every child that trusts in Him. Not only will He protect them from the
monsters that may (or may not) be imagined, He will also teach them the
power of faith in God.
Pray with your children. Teach them to carry their concerns to God. Let them
know when God answers your prayers, and the prayers of the family. Talk
about the prayers and the answers to prayers often, reminding your children
of every prayer God has answered.
I suppose we will always have something to fear. At least until we take it
to God. Perfect love, the Bible says, casts out all fear. In the Presence of
the Lord there is peace and comfort. The shortest way to God’s Presence on
earth is meaningful prayer.
Pray daily and teach your little ones to pray. God will do His part.
Jim
"Chasing Monsters" Image link: http://goodword.pazzoom.com/?p=49
free Christian graphics: www.gospelgifs.com
free 2007 printable calendar: http://www.jimsgraphix.com/lowcal.htm
free Bible software download: http://www.onlinebible.net
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