The Bible says,

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Amen! Death, separation, sadness, confusion, stress, anxiety, fear and all – everything works together for our own good.

What is that “good” the Bible is talking about?

We find the answer in the following verses:

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Romans 8:29-30

Amen!

The good is the fact that the end result of everything we’re going through is for us to take the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. There is nothing better, more “good,” than this. For this “good” end, the Holy Spirit is working behind the scene. May His name be praised forever!

When Coronavirus claimed the lives of the people we loved and enjoyed worshiping God with, fear, anger, frustration and hopelessness wanted to creep into our soul but the truth of God, may the name of Jesus Christ be praised, the truth of God anchors us. It lifts our weary souls up and comforts us.

Scriptures say,

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:1-2

May God help us all to set our minds on things above so that we will able to overcome the pain and sufferings of this life. May God make heaven our only focus on which we put all our hope.

While we do that, I want to leave a short word of advice to those who are parenting little kids during this time. I know, this quarantine time is tough on all of us in many ways but I can only imagine how hard it can be for married couples with little children.

It is tough on couples, but guess what? It can be very tough for kids unless couples take an extra care to shield and protect their children.

If their parents are okay and are getting along fine, little kids think and believe that the world is an okay place to live in. Otherwise, their whole small world will be shattered. So parents, you need to be responsible to protect them. So, here are few points I want to leave to those of you with little kids to consider:

1. Have time for yourself, to be alone with God and to be just alone by yourself.

When you take time before God, the Spirit of God guides you into the truth. And it will be easy for you to see your faults and shortcomings and correct them. When you take time before God, you receive mercy from God and find grace that will help you in times of need as the word says:

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

2. If you and your spouse don’t have good communication, this may not be a good time to work on your marriage, just you two, in front of your kids.

Just because you spend too much time together does not mean that you can solve your marital problems. It is good to call a third person to help you two talk and solve your problems. Otherwise you’ll make your house a scary place to be in for your kids.

3. It is good to sing and worship God together as a family, however, if this is not a norm in your home, don’t try to implement it now.

Trying to enforce spirituality now takes away the peace of the house. More often than not, it is the wife who always tries to make her husband and kids “spiritual,” and it is very destructive to do this especially during this quarantine time. Instead, if God has granted you more spiritual wisdom than your spouse, pray on behalf of your spouse and kids and be “the Christ” to them the word of God calls you to be. If things fall naturally for the whole family to come together to pray and worship God, that is wonderful! Otherwise don’t impose spirituality on your spouse and kids. Doing so brings joy to the devil but sadness and resentment to your kids and spouse.

4. As a couple and as a family, you may spend lots of time together now. Strive to make this time a “blame-free time.”

If you clean and your spouse does not clean, don’t think blaming your spouse will motivate him/her to clean. Blaming actually destroys every beautiful thing your family may have. So, stop blaming each other – instead, do what you can and leave the rest as it is and just enjoy the time you have with your spouse and kids. The word of God says, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’” Philippians 2:14-15a Did you see that? When you do not murmur and complain, you show to the devil and your flesh that you are a child of God.

5. Again, you’re spending lots of time together now in this quarantine time. That means, there will be lots of incidences where different situations will invite you to fight with your spouse in front of your kids.

As an adult, the one who knows how to pray, you can say, “No” for that kind of invitation and move on to the next important thing which is protecting your children. Then probably later, as you two go to your bedroom, talk quietly so your kids won’t hear you. In this way, you make your home a safe haven for your kids to live in.

6. Kids normally don’t know how to show or express their feelings and emotions (including their fears) like us, adults.

This may make us, adults, forget that our kids have emotional burdens to carry. Kids, for example, naturally blame themselves when their parents fight. They think that they are responsible for every “not-good” thing they see in their parents. That means, for example, when they see their parents argue and fight, they believe that they are the ones who caused it all and they feel hopeless and helpless. So when you protect your kids from your marital issues, you are actually protecting your kids’ emotional, mental and physical well-being.

When you do everything you can to protect your kids, God will be on your side, for He is the One who gave you these kids. ///