by Jeri Johnson
A The Kids & Me Contributor
When I was in grade school, I was required to read the book The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. The book contained the writings from the diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. In order to avoid detection, Anne and her family would sleep during the day and try to maintain some semblance of family life at night.
Most of us could only imagine the fear and emotional stress that Anne faced on a daily basis. There was one day when Anne was especially frustrated and her father was trying to console her. He told her, in essence, that there would always be someone who could put bars on her body; but no one could put bars on her mind.
This is a lesson for our children today as they struggle to maintain their faith in a school setting. This society has either taken God out of its institutions, or it has placed major restrictions on how He is to be acknowledged. In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that public schools could not mandate prayers in school (such as starting the day with the Lord's Prayer or a Bible reading); however, the First Amendment protects students' and teachers' private expression, and students can pray privately. Our children need to know that whenever they have a need, whether it involves help with classwork, bullies in the playground or something more dangerous, they can pray. They do not need to kneel or close their eyes or say a word. They can pray in their hearts and God will hear them.
Jesus had a special place in His heart for children. In Matthew 18:10, He said, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven”. Jesus also said in Mark 10:14-15, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God”.
As our children mature and face bigger challenges, hopefully prayer will become such a common practice that it will be second nature to them. They should grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). As with us, Jesus did not promise that He would remove their trials, but that He would always be with them.
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