Jesus Does Not Need to Be Bigger than the Boogie Man!

As Christian we want to bring the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to bear upon every moment of our lives. As Christian parents we want to model this for our children. We want them to trust that the death of Christ has atoned for their sins and that His resurrection has brought them everlasting life. We want to keep Jesus in the forefront of our lives and the lives of our children.

There is a great temptation, however, to make Jesus the solution to make-believe problems. With the best of intentions Christian parents counter their children's irrational fears (monsters under the bed, the boogie man, etc.) with, "Remember, Jesus is with you. He will protect you." Eventually the child grows up. They outgrow the boogie man and the monsters under their beds. And, if those are the things that they need Jesus to protect them from, there is a good chance that they will outgrow Jesus too.

Jesus does not save us from make believe danger. He saves us from real danger. He rescues us from every peril of body and soul. Sin, Satan, temptation, illness, death, these are the enemies that are defeated by the death and resurrection of Jesus. And they are very real, very deadly, apart from Christ's protection.

So, then how should we respond to the boogie man? Fight make believe with make believe. Give your child a magic pillow that creates a force field around their bed at night to ward off any unsavory creatures of the night. Be creative. Use your imagination. Read a fairy tale or two if you need inspiration.

Allow your imagination to protect your child from their own imagination. At worst they will outgrow the magic pillow along with the monsters under the bed. But they won't outgrow Jesus Christ, who protects them from real danger, who by His death and resurrection covers them in protective armor to defend them from the spiritual forces of darkness.

Comments

  1. Elizabeth AMay 18, 2012 at 11:18 AM

    Josh,

    I love this! Thanks for posting! I am sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 18, 2012 at 11:30 AM

    Amen and amen. Imagine that, a modern Christian having and actually acknowleging the proper use of imagination.

    ReplyDelete

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