Leading your Family with Faith Over Fear

“Most young kids will remember how their family home felt during the coronavirus panic more than anything specific about the virus.”

I saw this quote the other day and can’t find who to attribute it to, but have been thinking about it ever since. I don’t think it applies just to young kids, though. The truth is, parents, our children of all ages are watching and will learn more from how we act and react in difficult circumstances than from the things we say and do when everything is going good in life. For better or worse, your kids will follow your lead. I pray we lead with faith over fear.

A few thoughts on how to do that:

Focus on the here and now…This is one of those moments when we don’t really know what’s to come. I’ve found myself spending time and energy speculating on what this is going to do to our world, how it will change us…I know it’s going to have some consequences that will be with us for a while. But here’s the thing, worrying will not change a single outcome so let’s not give in to it! Do what you need to do to take care of yourself and those around you, today, here and now and tomorrow simply do that again. Take some time to read Jesus’s words in Matthew 6. He ends with this advice, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Now, more than ever, is the perfect time to practice this principle.

Keep the important things the same…Our kids have always said that the most important thing we did as a family when the Duck Dynasty phenomenon happened and life was crazy all around us is that they saw us stay the same. Our kids need to know that if everything else is changing or even seems to be crumbling around us, mom and dad are stable and our home is a safe place. Not that you’re going to be perfect, but that you’re going to be there! Our children thrive when they feel secure. We can do that by creating some consistency in our homes during this time; eat dinner together around the table each night, set a designated time to read a book together or have a devotional.  My parents always told me and we’ve always told our kids that if we lose everything, we will still be the same, because the root of who we are is so much deeper than what we have or don’t have. The important things can never be taken away from us. Our kids need to know this and see it in how we act and react when the world feels uncertain.

Connect them to something greater than themselves or their problems… It’s hard to worry about yourself when you are doing something for someone else. Cook a meal and leave it on a neighbor’s doorstep, write an old fashioned letter, send someone flowers, FaceTime friends across the country or across the street. Talk to your kids and explain that the reason we are staying home is for the good of those who are at risk and that by all working together we can defeat this thing. And most importantly, connect them to God. He’s got this. He’s greater than any disease or problem this world can throw at us. Focus on this verse below from James 1:17. Read it together and talk about what it means to them and then spend some time in prayer and cast all your worries on the God who never changes.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

 And last but not least have fun…Coronavirus quarantine can’t stop that! Play family games, dance in your kitchen, learn a song on the piano, a new skill on YouTube, sing, paint, draw, create, pop some popcorn and watch a funny movie, pitch a tent in the living room. Make a bucket list of things you can do in and around your home, write it on poster board and hang it where everyone can see. I know that many are experiencing some really hard times, and life is not all fun and games, but I also know that fun and games can make the hard times a little bit better. Don’t let these trials steal your joy! “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-5,17

We’re all in this together! Stay healthy friends, body, mind and spirit!

Korie Robertson is a New York Times bestselling author and speaker who is passionate about motherhood. Korie (K-Swaggy) is a mom to Sadie — and five other amazing kids. In her free time, you’ll find her playing tennis, drinking coffee and spending time with her kids and grand babies.

Follow Korie on Instagram @bosshogswife