It is 2am. I woke up itching my fingers from my usual "washing dishes" induced eczema. My brain ceased the moment to send rushing ideas and thoughts my way as often it does when I am awake. I clung to this one thought... "what is the greatest gift I can give my children?"
I read an article yesterday that got me thinking. It was about a young elementary aged boy that had taken his life. His parents suspect bullying was the reason for his decision to end his life. The father made a plea for parents to take the extra time to talk with their children. Many people commented on bullying and how to prevent your child from being a bully or becoming a victim of one. All very good and true. But... was it enough? In a dark moment? Whether you are an adult or a child we have all gone through very dark days. We will lose loved ones and suffer tragedy and simply lose hope at some point. So what will carry us through those times? Will the love of a concerned parent be enough? What if there is no parent? What if the sadness is caused by the loss of ones parents. What if the source of sadness IS ones parents?? Will a book or program about bullying be enough? If a child or you or I... had no one? If we were alone in our suffering. What would be "enough" to carry us through? Certainly we want to give our children everything they need and much of what they want. We want them to be happy but more so we want them to be healthy physically and mentally. So on their darkest day, in their most desperate moments that are sure to come in this broken world. What will carry them through? Certainly it won't be xbox, money, a swing set or any other material thing. but... will the love of a parent or teacher? Will a program on bullying or a book about how to make friends? Would counseling or even medication be enough? I would imagine any surviving parent of a child or loved one that committed suicide, will tell you they loved the person. They likely suffer guilt on what they could have said or done to prevent it. But would their words truly have been enough? Some children and adults may have underlying mental health issues or chemical imbalances that only medication will resolve. But ALL of us will suffer some loss and devastation. How will we cope? How DO we cope?
The conclusion I kept coming back to was God. Any missionary will tell you the most faithful, prayerful, grateful people are the poorest, the sickest, the most desperate. Those that are suffering pray to God the most. He is there for us in our darkest hour. When the road seems to end abruptly and there is nothing left. He is good. He is faithful. He is worthy. He is love. So when you are stripped of ALL your worldly support. No friends, no family, no medication, no therapy...... where do you turn? If you were lying naked in a cell by yourself. Where would you turn? I know where I would turn. Desperate and out of solutions. I would turn to God. Always faithful, always with me. Forever and always.
So what is "the greatest gift I can give my children?" For me that answer is clear. Christ. If I am not here to comfort or guide them, I want them to turn to the Word not the world. I want them to turn to the one true sovereign God. Faith is the one thing the world can never strip them of.
