Day 269: Anxious Times

DAY 269

                    Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic                     

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-nine    Tuesday 8 December 2020

Anxious Times

Anxious Times Mean More Anxious Children

“Yes, this is an anxious time, and yes, everyone is anxious, but it is particularly hard to be anxious as a kid in an anxious time. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders in children and they can be linked to other mental health issues, notably depression. One health care provider suggests that parents should model how to express emotions and ask for help and support. Do check-ins by asking open-ended questions, such as ‘How are you feeling? Why are you feeling that way?’ Don’t dismiss their concerns, and don’t tell them they’re too young to be worrying…. Another recommends that you seek help if you see patterns that significantly interfere with a child’s day-to-day functioning, or if a child seems to be in distress over time and getting worse, or if a child says anything at all about self-harm or suicide.… Finally, another health care provider says children need to hear from their parents that ‘this is really hard and complicated, and as a family we’re going to be able to cope with this and be OK.’” - From a current newspaper article by the same title referencing multiple health care providers.

My first year of teaching school involved a second grade class in a parochial school that had before and after school care. Thus, we attracted a lot of single working parents, mothers all, and over half the class came from such homes. Looking back, I can still sense the unspoken anxiety these children presented in a number of ways not the least of which were times of unexplainable emotional outburst often with tears. Sometimes they could articulate what was making them sad – “Daddy moved out of our house” but more often than not they couldn’t identify why, they were just anxious and sad. Thankfully, as a Christian school, we could pray for them and that helped.

During the relentless invisible pressure of this pandemic about which adults can converse, it is important that we intentionally spend time with children, teens who can talk about it and little children who can’t because developmentally they don’t understand what is going on, they just ‘know’ or sense it. Jesus was very clear in his commitment to children – may we be as well.  

Reflective question: Do you know children you can reach out to and care for in some way?

Reflective Scripture: Matthew 19:14 – ‘Let the little children come to me, …”

Reflective hymn:

“Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life” – Frank North (1850-1935)

From tender childhood’s helplessness, from woman’s grief, man’s burden’d toil,

From famished souls, from sorrow’s stress, Thy heart has never known recoil.

O Master, from the mountainside, make haste to heal the hearts of pain;

Among these restless throngs abide; O tread the city’s streets again.