A young girl wearing a medical mask peeks over a fence

Talking to Your Kids About Coronavirus [EPISODE 2]

  • By: Scott Stein
  • Apr 14, 2020
    • Listen on:

We can't answer every question our kids have about God's reasons for the Coronavirus. But we can give them a tremendous source of peace and confidence by showing them that nothing happens outside of God's control. 

In this episode, we discuss ways that you can help your kids understand what's happening. We'll guide you in looking at this difficult issue with them from the grand story of the Bible and God's eternal purpose. You'll be able to help them overcome fear and grow their trust in God!

In this episode, you’ll discover—

  • How to help your kids understand the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by seeing it in relation to the Bible
  • How Creation and the Fall help us understand present circumstances
  • The two ways in which to see the pandemic
  • How God's judgment and God's redeeming grace relate to the pandemic
  • Tips for helping kids process the Coronavirus and deal with their anxiety and fear

Takeaways

Though being a Christian doesn’t mean you'll have all the answers, you can teach kids how to view everything in relationship to the overall story of the Bible. The Bible tells an overall story in four main parts:

  1. Creation - Heaven and earth were created for one ultimate reason: God’s glory (see 1 Chronicles 29:11).
  2. Fall - Adam’s sin was in attempting to assume God’s glory for himself. As a logical consequence, God’s judgment was death for the creation.
  3. Redemption - Adam and Eve’s sin brought them under God’s judgment. But at the same time it began a new chapter of God’s grace.
  4. Restoration - Our story has a happy ending. A day approaches when the pain of sickness and suffering in this sin broken world is undone.
  • Look at life’s events not in isolation, but put them the context of the biblical story. You'll help kids to see that there are no random or uncontrolled events that threaten our world.
  • Helping kids to think biblically about the Coronavirus begins with teaching them about Creation and the Fall (Genesis 1-3). Doing this gives them an ultimate starting place for where all disease, sickness and death come from: human sin and God's resulting judgment.

Help kids see the present pandemic in these two ways:

  1. As a part of God’s judgment for sin
  2. As a display of God’s grace
  • At any given moment, God’s judgment and redeeming grace are both being revealed. This is no less true in our present circumstances of a global pandemic
    • Tip: As you speak to kids about the Coronavirus, maintain this balance between God’s judgment and grace. Ignoring either could lead to extremes like living in anxious fear or disregarding how seriously God’s takes sin.

Biblical principles for helping your children process Coronavirus

  1. There is nothing that happens outside of God’s control
  2. Because God cares about your kids more than you do, he will take care of them.
  • Remember to lead your kids in praying through this pandemic.

Key Takeaway: Help your children develop an eternal mindset. This life is not all there is. Our hope and our treasure lies in the life to come with Jesus in heaven.