Talking to Your Children About Suffering in the Midst of COVID-19
You’ve heard it said again and again. What we’re going through, as a country and community, is unprecedented. This pandemic will leave an imprint on our culture, our lives, and especially—on our children. Our kids will tell their children about the time their community shut down because of this virus. That fact has raised daunting questions for me. How will our kids tell the COVID-19 story? Through what lens will they interpret what has happened for the next generation?
Your kids’ understanding of current events is formed right now by the conversations they hear and the media they consume. As parents, we should see this as a providential opportunity to shape their interpretative lens. As you have conversations with your child about these days of social isolation, quarantine, and grief, ask them how they are processing it. Where are they emotionally and spiritually? What are their biggest fears? As your child processes these events, here are five biblical truths you should reference with them:
1. God Is Sovereign.
COVID-19 did not surprise God. He is not absent during the panic around the world. We don’t know why God is allowing this virus to run through the world, but that does not mean we can’t trust him. Everything that is happening is completely in his hands. And he is not just sovereign over these circumstances, he is good. He is worthy of our trust, even if we don’t know the why behind our pain. Let God’s sovereignty and providence calm your heart. Though the world may seem to be chaos, God is not running around putting out fires. Nothing happens that God does not know or care about. This should give you hope, and it should give your child hope.
2. This World Is Broken.
Romans 8:19–22 (ESV) says, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” In this passage, Paul teaches us that this earth is broken. Natural disasters and pandemics are examples of the earth “groaning.” Why is it broken? Because sin introduced a curse, not just on mankind but also on the earth. When Adam and Eve chose to rebel against him, God cursed both them and the ground they were responsible for. This means that COVID-19 exists because sin exists. This world has been broken by the curse of sin, and it doesn’t work and cohere as God made it to work. People get sick, and people die because sin has cursed our world.
3. We Should Hate Sin.
We should hate sin because it has ruined our world. If we fail to connect the dots between sin and the brokenness of our world, we won’t see the point of the curse. The curse makes life on this earth more difficult and painful. In the midst of this curse, give your child an opportunity to be introspective about their sin and respond in repentance to areas the Holy Spirit shows them. Let their hatred for COVID-19 spur hatred for the sin within that seeks to destroy them.
4. Jesus Is Our Hope in Brokenness.
We must trust Christ as our only hope in the midst of this brokenness. He knows everything about the curse of this world; Jesus took the curse of sin for us. He entered our world to take our curse physically. Ultimately, he bore the final blow of the curse through death. Isaiah 53:4–5 (NIV) says, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed.” Jesus died a physical death, which shows us the physical nature of sin’s consequences. Yet his physical death and resurrection also give us hope. Jesus touched the blind, and he healed the sick. Those miracles point to the truth that Jesus is the Great Physician; they remind us that in the resurrection, he will heal every believer—not just spiritually, but physically as well.
Outside of faith in Christ, we have no hope to escape the brokenness of this world. If we don’t put our trust in him, the evils we experience in this life—cancer, tornadoes, and COVID-19—will only be multiplied in eternity. But, in Christ, death has no sting. One day, it will be no more. Jesus will reign forever along with those who put their faith in him. We’ll experience a new heaven and new earth without any of the brokenness we experience now. So, as you experience the glaring brokenness of this world now, plead with your children to put their faith in the Savior.
5. People Matter.
The precautions we’re taking seem strange to us. They also may seem strange to your children. Your child may wonder why we are doing this for a virus. We’re not. We’re doing this for people. So, take this opportunity to talk to your child or teenager about what it means to love your neighbors (Matt. 22:39). God cares about how we care for the well-being of others in our community, especially the vulnerable. Help your child understand that their relationship with God is not just vertical but also horizontal—with other people. To be a Christian is to care about the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of our neighbors. The truth that people matter will give your kids a lens for understanding why we should be taking precautions. One practical way to teach this is to create a call list of people to check in on, to make sure they are doing okay. Put this together with your kids; post it on your refrigerator; and pray for these friends and neighbors every day.
This is a strange season for your family, but God often uses strange providence to form his people, especially children. May God grant you the ability to teach your child truths that they may not be able to understand otherwise. If the Lord tarries, your children will see more suffering. See this global pandemic as an opportunity to prepare them. God can and will use COVID-19 to teach our children how to be ready for the unavoidable brokenness they will experience in the world. Our prayer is that he would use us as a means to cultivate trust in Christ and love for others.