Finding Hope After Fear

By Mitchell Moyer

It's in the aftermath of heartache and fear that a question comes over every parent as they face wickedness in the world: how can I raise a child amidst this mess?  Even as I write this, my soon to be two year daughter is sitting in my lap.  It's an honest question that brings no easy answers. In fact, it's becoming more and more common for people to make a conscious decision to not have children for the very reason that there is so much evil. And while I personally don't agree with that particular idea, I can understand how someone might come to that position. There's no question we live in uncertain times, to phrase it very mildly. For the last sixty-five years, we as a nation have lived at war or under close threat of it. We've seen society shift to include words like 'terrorism' in our everyday conversation. We have seen financial market fluctuations that have resulted in hardships and even total loss of a lifetime of savings. In a good mood yet? Psalm 121 "I lift up my eyes to the hills.     From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord,     who made heaven and earth." "The Lord will keep you from all evil;     he will keep your life. The Lord will keep     your going out and your coming in     from this time forth and forevermore." Please understand, this is not a hokey, ignorance based quotation of a scripture to make us feel good in an otherwise negative world. This isn't a need to feel like 'there's something more' and certainly isn't an 'I know something you don't know.'  What this is is rather a call to remember the One who created and loves us, understanding all too well the pain as a result of sinful people. 

As a Christian, and one who has made ministry my full time job, I'm often asked how we ought to respond when tragic, evil and senseless events take place. And in these moments I remember so many times I've felt doubt, begging for answers. (As an aside, never be afraid to ask questions and seek honest answers. God isn't afraid of a question). So what do we tell our children? How do we explain the chaos? How can we live without fear? To understand the origin of the problem, we must understand that we were created to be with God, but sin and evil got in the way. As a result we can't have the life we were meant to have on our own. We feel the consequences of sin daily, while our spirit groans under the pain, longing for the relationship we were designed to have. That's our hope for the future, how we can face the uncertainty. That's how we can stare down evil, knowing it might bring pain, but it's the last vestiges of an enemy that has been beaten by Christ. Does it eliminate our present struggles? No, but it gives us assurance that though the enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy, we have a hope, we have life and we have a promise to work all things for good. We don't have to live like those without hope, even in the face of the darkest day. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) *By no means is this the end of the conversation or search for answers. Rather it's the truth I've experienced and the only hope that can sustain through the darkest of days.