A Letter to a Child in the Midst of Crisis
Dear Child,
You are little for such a short time. But, when you grow up and think back on your childhood, we hope some of your fondest memories are about us … the church.
It wasn’t too long ago when you were sitting in a circle with other kids; someone was singing Jesus Loves Me. It is probably one of the first songs you learned to sing.
As a toddler you could lisp your way through John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. You will remember this verse for your entire life, along with how the church was your happy place every week.
How we have celebrated your childhood among us! In rooms painted with children’s delight in mind and furnished with tables and chairs that were just your size, you heard the Good News of the Gospel and came to Jesus with childlike faith and trust.
We are the Church and you, child, are precious to us. But things have changed. The church building is closed and empty. There are no Awana games. No one to say your verses to. No one to call you by name and ask, “How ya’ doin’ friend?”
How we miss you!
We miss you running through the parking lot to be in church with us. Your laughter should be ringing in these hallways. Your songs should be drifting from the children’s wing into the heart of our sanctuary.
Can it be that this missing you has made it possible for us to love you even more than we did before the COVID-19 pandemic … before our worlds were turned upside down and you disappeared from church? It has.
The suddenness of this crisis makes us wonder: Have we given you everything you need spiritually to face this and other unforeseen crises that may come into your life? What unknown territory stretches out between these days of your childhood and your adult life? Will your faith hold strong in the face of fear or, potentially, death? And what about other challenges to faith that are even now rising on the horizon? Will your child faith hold strong against the secular world’s embrace of political correctness, relativism that challenges absolute truth, and sexual and gender choices without boundaries?
For now, we have enough worries where you are concerned. The world has pivoted, been knocked off its foundations. And after just a few weeks, we realize your discipleship can’t wait for you to grow up. Enormous challenges we thought were far away in your adulthood are here today. COVID-19, with its serious threat to life and its pandemic reach, has shattered our assumptions about the security and resilience of your life.
We are so sorry this virus is threatening your childhood. We will do anything to protect you, knowing what you are facing. But the question, “Have we done enough?” gnaws at us. Warm, fuzzy memories may not be enough to strengthen you now. Our time to build you into disciples was so short. We wonder if we have filled the small amount of time we had with you with delightful things and spiritual entertainment, activities so inconsequential they won’t travel into the real challenges of your life – today or as an adult – except as lovely memories?
Have we loved and entertained you only, or have we also created disciples? With your future in mind, have we intentionally raised you to become a Christ-following man or woman with both spine and heart – spine to stand firm for your Christian beliefs in an increasingly hostile secular world, and heart to embrace that same intolerant-of-faith world with a love that can’t be ignored? Spine to trust God and not cling to life here on earth, but rather to claim your citizenship in heaven; and heart to pour God’s love into a lost and hurting world?
Will you grow up and be grateful that we, the Church, gave you everything you needed to both lead the church and influence the culture? Will you be prepared because the Church today anticipated the challenges you would face as a Christian adult in 2050?
Will you experience our love today because we prepared you for a life in which anything can happen? Will you know we are for you and that God is working everything out on your behalf – no matter what?
While we both have today, this is what we want you to know:
We never stopped loving you. We can’t wait until we see you and can all be together again. We miss you from the bottom of our hearts.
Lovingly,
The Church
Valerie Bell is CEO Emerita of Awana, a global leader in child discipleship. She is also a sought-after speaker and author. Valerie has written eight books and her newest, RESILIENT: Child Discipleship and the Fearless Future of the Church, was released in January 2020. She and her husband, Steve, have two sons and six amazing grandchildren.
