Looking ahead to the future of machine learning: (clockwise from top left) Jay Lee, Jimeng Sun, Pierre Gentine and Kyle Cranmer.
IOP Publishing’s Machine Learning series is the world’s first open-access journal series dedicated to the application and development of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) for the sciences.
Part of the series is Machine Learning: Science and Technology, launched in 2019, which bridges the application and advances in machine learning across the sciences. Machine Learning: Earth is dedicated to the application of ML and AI across all areas of Earth, environmental and climate sciences while Machine Learning: Health covers healthcare, medical, biological, clinical and health sciences and Machine Learning: Engineeringfocuses on applied AI and non-traditional machine learning to the most complex engineering challenges.
Here, the editors-in-chief (EiC) of the four journals discuss the growing importance of machine learning and their plans for the future.
Kyle Cranmer is a particle physicist and data scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is EiC of Machine Learning: Science and Technology (MLST). Pierre Gentine is a geophysicist at Columbia University and is EiC of Machine Learning: Earth. Jimeng Sun is a biophysicist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is EiC of Machine Learning: Health. Mechanical engineer Jay Lee is from the University of Maryland and is EiC of Machine Learning: Engineering.
What do you attribute to the huge growth over the past decade in research into and using machine learning?
Kyle Cranmer (KC): It is due to a convergence of multiple factors. The initial success of deep learning was driven largely by benchmark datasets, advances in computing with graphics processing units, and some clever algorithmic tricks. Since then, we’ve seen a huge investment in powerful, easy-to-use tools that have dramatically lowered the barrier to entry and driven extraordinary progress.
Pierre Gentine (PG): Machine learning has been transforming many fields of physics, as it can accelerate physics simulation, better handle diverse sources of data (multimodality), help us better predict.
Jimeng Sun (JS): Over the past decade, we have seen machine learning models consistently reach — and in some cases surpass — human-level performance on real-world tasks. This is not just in benchmark datasets, but in areas that directly impact operational efficiency and accuracy, such as medical imaging interpretation, clinical documentation, and speech recognition. Once ML proved it could perform reliably at human levels, many domains recognized its potential to transform labour-intensive processes.
Jay Lee (JL): Traditionally, ML growth is based on the development of three elements: algorithms, big data, and computing. The past decade’s growth in ML research is due to the perfect storm of abundant data, powerful computing, open tools, commercial incentives, and groundbreaking discoveries—all occurring in a highly interconnected global ecosystem.
What areas of machine learning excite you the most and why?
KC: The advances in generative AI and self-supervised learning are very exciting. By generative AI, I don’t mean Large Language Models — though those are exciting too — but probabilistic ML models that can be useful in a huge number of scientific applications. The advances in self-supervised learning also allows us to engage our imagination of the potential uses of ML beyond well-understood supervised learning tasks.
PG: I am very interested in the use of ML for climate simulations and fluid dynamics simulations.
JS: The emergence of agentic systems in healthcare — AI systems that can reason, plan, and interact with humans to accomplish complex goals. A compelling example is in clinical trial workflow optimization. An agentic AI could help coordinate protocol development, automatically identify eligible patients, monitor recruitment progress, and even suggest adaptive changes to trial design based on interim data. This isn’t about replacing human judgment — it’s about creating intelligent collaborators that amplify expertise, improve efficiency, and ultimately accelerate the path from research to patient benefit.
JL: One area is generative and multimodal ML — integrating text, images, video, and more — are transforming human–AI interaction, robotics, and autonomous systems. Equally exciting is applying ML to nontraditional domains like semiconductor fabs, smart grids, and electric vehicles, where complex engineering systems demand new kinds of intelligence.
What vision do you have for your journal in the coming years?
KC: The need for a venue to propagate advances in AI/ML in the sciences is clear. The large AI conferences are under stress, and their review system is designed to be a filter not a mechanism to ensure quality, improve clarity and disseminate progress. The large AI conferences also aren’t very welcoming to user-inspired research, often casting that work as purely applied. Similarly, innovation in AI/ML often takes a back seat in physics journals, which slows the propagation of those ideas to other fields. My vision for MLST is to fill this gap and nurture the community that embraces AI/ML research inspired by the physical sciences.
PG: I hope we can demonstrate that machine learning is more than a nice tool but that it can play a fundamental role in physics and Earth sciences, especially when it comes to better simulating and understanding the world.
JS: I see Machine Learning: Health becoming the premier venue for rigorous ML–health research — a place where technical novelty and genuine clinical impact go hand in hand. We want to publish work that not only advances algorithms but also demonstrates clear value in improving health outcomes and healthcare delivery. Equally important, we aim to champion open and reproducible science. That means encouraging authors to share code, data, and benchmarks whenever possible, and setting high standards for transparency in methods and reporting. By doing so, we can accelerate the pace of discovery, foster trust in AI systems, and ensure that our field’s breakthroughs are accessible to — and verifiable by — the global community.
JL: Machine Learning: Engineering envisions becoming the global platform where ML meets engineering. By fostering collaboration, ensuring rigour and interpretability, and focusing on real-world impact, we aim to redefine how AI addresses humanity’s most complex engineering challenges.
Games played under the laws of quantum mechanics dissipate less energy than their classical equivalents. This is the finding of researchers at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), who worked with colleagues in the UK, Austria and the US to apply the mathematics of game theory to quantum information. The researchers also found that for more complex game strategies, the quantum-classical energy difference can increase without bound, raising the possibility of a “quantum advantage” in energy dissipation.
Game theory is the field of mathematics that aims to formally understand the payoff or gains that a person or other entity (usually called an agent) will get from following a certain strategy. Concepts from game theory are often applied to studies of quantum information, especially when trying to understand whether agents who can use the laws of quantum physics can achieve a better payoff in the game.
In the latest work, which is published in Physical Review Letters, Jayne Thompson, Mile Gu and colleagues approached the problem from a different direction. Rather than focusing on differences in payoffs, they asked how much energy must be dissipated to achieve identical payoffs for games played under the laws of classical versus quantum physics. In doing so, they were guided by Landau’s principle, an important concept in thermodynamics and information theory that states that there is a minimum energy cost to erasing a piece of information.
This Landau minimum is known to hold for both classical and quantum systems. However, in practice systems will spend more than the minimum energy erasing memory to make space for new information, and this energy will be dissipated as heat. What the NTU team showed is that this extra heat dissipation can be reduced in the quantum system compared to the classical one.
Planning for future contingencies
To understand why, consider that when a classical agent creates a strategy, it must plan for all possible future contingencies. This means it stores possibilities that never occur, wasting resources. Thompson explains this with a simple analogy. Suppose you are packing to go on a day out. Because you are not sure what the weather is going to be, you must pack items to cover all possible weather outcomes. If it’s sunny, you’d like sunglasses. If it rains, you’ll need your umbrella. But if you only end up using one of these items, you’ll have wasted space in your bag.
“It turns out that the same principle applies to information,” explains Thompson. “Depending on future outcomes, some stored information may turn out to be unnecessary – yet an agent must still maintain it to stay ready for any contingency.”
For a classical system, this can be a very wasteful process. Quantum systems, however, can use superposition to store past information more efficiently. When systems in a quantum superposition are measured, they probabilistically reveal an outcome associated with only one of the states in the superposition. Hence, while superposition can be used to store both pasts, upon measurement all excess information is automatically erased “almost as if they had never stored this information at all,” Thompson explains.
The upshot is that because information erasure has close ties to energy dissipation, this gives quantum systems an energetic advantage. “This is a fantastic result focusing on the physical aspect that many other approaches neglect,” says Vlatko Vedral, a physicist at the University of Oxford, UK who was not involved in the research.
Implications of the research
Gu and Thompson say their result could have implications for the large language models (LLMs) behind popular AI tools such as ChatGPT, as it suggests there might be theoretical advantages, from an energy consumption point of view, in using quantum computers to run them.
Another, more foundational question they hope to understand regarding LLMs is the inherent asymmetry in their behaviour. “It is likely a lot more difficult for an LLM to write a book from back cover to front cover, as opposed to in the more conventional temporal order,” Thompson notes. When considered from an information-theoretic point of view, the two tasks are equivalent, making this asymmetry somewhat surprising.
In Thompson and Gu’s view, taking waste into consideration could shed light on this asymmetry. “It is likely we have to waste more information to go in one direction over the other,” Thompson says, “and we have some tools here which could be used to analyse this”.
For Vedral, the result also has philosophical implications. If quantum agents are more optimal, he says, it is “surely is telling us that the most coherent picture of the universe is the one where the agents are also quantum and not just the underlying processes that they observe”.
The modern church talks much about grace, favor, and blessing—but seldom about obedience. Notwithstanding, from Genesis to Revelation, the Word of God presents obedience as the foundation of faith, the evidence of love, and the mark of true discipleship. To cultivate obedience in our daily lives, we can start by reading and meditating on God’s Word, praying for the strength to obey, and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
In the Great Commission, Jesus did not merely say, “Go and preach.” He commanded:
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20, NKJV)
The Great Commission begins and ends with obedience—obeying Christ’s authority and teaching others to follow His commandments. Yet this has become the most neglected aspect of Christian faith. Many profess Christ, but few walk in submission to His Word.
Throughout Scripture, obedience is never optional; it is the proof of love and the evidence of faith. Jesus said plainly:
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15, NKJV)
Disobedience is rebellion. It is the sin that turned angels into demons and paradise into wilderness.
This article explores the power, beauty, and necessity of obedience, drawing from Old Testament examples that reveal both the blessings and the curse of rebellion.
1. Obedience: The True Measure of Faith
Faith without obedience is dead. The Bible defines faith not merely as belief, but as action upon God’s Word. Hebrews 11—the “Hall of Faith”—is also a “Hall of Obedience.”
Abraham: Obedience of Faith
“By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place that he would receive as an inheritance.” And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8, NKJV)
Abraham’s greatness was not in his wealth or title, but in his obedience. When God told him to leave his homeland, he departed without question. When God commanded him to offer Isaac, he rose early in the morning and went. (Genesis 22:1–3)
The angel of the Lord declared:
“Because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you…” (Genesis 22:16-17, NKJV)
Abraham’s obedience unlocked the covenant of blessing that continues to affect nations today. Faithful obedience has a generational impact, underscoring the importance of preserving our actions for future generations.
2. Moses: The Cost of Partial Obedience
Moses was one of the most outstanding leaders in Scripture, yet even he learned that disobedience—however small—has consequences.
God asked Moses to speak to the rock so that water might come forth. Instead, Moses struck the rock in anger. Numbers 20:7–12 (NKJV) records:
“Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.'”
Partial obedience is disobedience. Moses’s action seemed minor compared to his years of service, but God’s holiness demands complete obedience.
The lesson: serving God faithfully for years cannot excuse one act of rebellion. God delights not in performance but in submission.
3. Saul: “Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice”
No verse summarizes God’s view of obedience more than 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NKJV):
“So Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.'”
King Saul had been commanded to destroy the Amalekites and all they possessed utterly. Yet he spared their king and the best livestock, claiming it was for sacrifice. God rejected his excuse—and his kingship.
Saul’s tragedy reveals that religious activity cannot substitute for obedience. The modern church often repeats Saul’s error—singing, giving, and serving, yet ignoring the plain commandments of Christ.
4. Noah: Obedience in a World of Disobedience
When the entire world rebelled against God, one man obeyed.
“Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” (Genesis 6:22, NKJV)
Noah’s obedience saved his family and preserved the human race. God gave specific instructions for building the ark, and Noah followed them precisely—no adjustments, no shortcuts. His obedience was total, detailed, and enduring.
Obedience often looks foolish to the world but is wisdom in God’s sight. The same is true today. As society mocks righteousness, God still searches for men and women who will “do according to all that He commands.”
5. Joshua: Obedience Leads to Victory
When Moses died, God charged Joshua to lead Israel into the Promised Land with one condition—obedience to the Word.
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then, you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” (Joshua 1:8, NKJV)
Joshua’s victories—Jericho, Ai, and beyond—were rooted in obedience. He did not rely on military strategy but divine instruction. When Israel disobeyed, as in the case of Achan’s sin (Joshua 7), defeat followed swiftly.
Every fall of the modern church mirrors this: victory comes through obedience; defeat comes through rebellion. We can ensure success and victory in our spiritual journey by obeying.
6. Daniel: Obedience in Exile
When the decree was signed forbidding prayer to anyone except the king, Daniel chose obedience to God over compliance with men.
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home… and he knelt on his knees three times that day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as had been his custom since early days.” (Daniel 6:10, NKJV)
Daniel’s obedience landed him in the lions’ den—but also in God’s miraculous protection. The lions could not devour an obedient man.
God still honors those who stand firm in obedience even when culture, politics, or law demands compromise.
7. Elijah: Obedience That Calls Down Fire
Elijah’s ministry was marked by precise obedience. Each time, the Word of the Lord came, and he acted without hesitation.
“And the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘Get away from here and turn eastward…’ So he went and did according to the Word of the Lord.” (1 Kings 17:2–5, NKJV)
When Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, his confidence came not from pride but from obedience. After soaking the altar with water, he prayed:
“Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” (1 Kings 18:37, NKJV)
Fire fell. Revival came. Obedience always precedes the power of God.
8. The Blessing of Obedience
God never demands obedience without promising a reward. Deuteronomy 28:1–2 (NKJV) declares:
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe all His commandments… that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.”
The entire chapter lists blessings—prosperity, protection, victory, abundance—but all rest on one condition: obedience.
By contrast, the rest of Deuteronomy 28 warns of curses that result from disobedience—poverty, disease, defeat, and despair. The choice has never changed: “See, I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
9. The Example of Christ: Perfect Obedience
Even the Son of God submitted Himself to the Father’s will.
“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8, NKJV)
Jesus’ obedience purchased our redemption. Through His submission, He reversed Adam’s rebellion. In Romans 5:19 (NKJV), Paul explains:
“By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
The Cross was not a display of power alone—it was the ultimate act of obedience. Every disciple of Jesus is called to follow that same path:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23, NKJV)
10. Disobedience: The Root of Modern Rebellion
The tragedy of our generation is that many claim Christ as Savior but reject Him as Lord. They want His forgiveness without His authority, His promises without His precepts.
The same rebellious spirit that ousted Saul from power in Israel is present here. It is disobedience in a church that hears the Word but does not do it.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22, NKJV)
Every rebellion begins with a small compromise. Eve listened to another voice. Saul spared what God condemned. Moses spoke about what he was asked to talk about. Minor acts of disobedience become significant departures from the truth.
When obedience fades, worship becomes noise, and holiness becomes mockery.
11. The Reward of the Obedient
Scripture repeatedly declares that obedience leads to divine favor:
Isaiah 1:19: “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the fruits of the land.”
Psalm 119:60: “I made haste, and did not delay keeping Your commandments.”
John 15:10: “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
Those who obey walk in continual fellowship with God. Obedience is not bondage—it is freedom from sin’s dominion.
12. The Church’s Call Back to Obedience
The revival this generation needs will not come through music, programs, or emotion—it will come through repentance and obedience. God is calling His people to return to the simplicity of “doing all that He has commanded.”
Jesus said, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things that I say?” (Luke 6:46, NKJV).
Obedience is not optional—it is the proof of discipleship. A church that prays but does not obey cannot move heaven.
As in the days of Noah, obedience will separate the faithful from the perishing. As in the days of Elijah, obedience will call down fire once more. Just as it did in the days of the apostles, obedience will once again transform the world.
Conclusion: The Command Still Stands
The Great Commission remains Christ’s final command and the church’s most significant omission—“teaching them to obey all things I have commanded you.”
True revival begins when believers rediscover the power of obedience. It is the missing ingredient of holiness, the forgotten key to authority, and the actual evidence of love.
Let every believer echo the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“Here am I! Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)
Let every church return to the cry of Samuel:
“Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.” (1 Samuel 3:10)
And may the modern church awaken to the truth that obedience is not old-fashioned—it is eternal.
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)
One Day soon, God will shut the door again—this time not to protect from rain, but to separate the righteous from the ungodly forever. Therefore, let every believer rise from slumber. Let every church return to holiness. Let every preacher cry aloud and spare not. The coming of the Lord is near. The voice of warning still echoes across the ages: “Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44 NKJV)
Introduction: A Prophetic Echo Through Time
When Jesus Christ spoke of His return, He did not choose vague imagery or philosophical metaphor. Instead, He pointed His listeners to a specific, historical era—the days of Noah. In Matthew 24:37-39 (NKJV), the Lord declared:
“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the Day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
With these words, Jesus unveiled a divine pattern: history repeats itself. The spiritual climate of Noah’s time would re-emerge before His second coming. Once again, humanity would plunge into rebellion, apathy, and moral darkness, oblivious to the impending judgment.
This article examines that prophetic comparison in full—how it mirrors our generation, what the apostles later revealed about the last days, and how Old Testament stories of disobedience serve as solemn warnings for today’s church.
The Days of Noah: A Civilization Drowning in Sin
To understand Jesus’ warning, we must revisit the world that existed before the flood. In Genesis 6:5–8 (NKJV), Scripture paints a chilling portrait:
“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth… But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.'”
Five key characteristics marked the days of Noah:
Moral corruption—wickedness was pervasive; sin had saturated every level of human thought and behavior.
Spiritual blindness—Though Noah preached righteousness for decades (2 Peter 2:5), the world mocked his message.
Defiance against God—Mankind rejected divine authority and lived without reverence.
Indifference to warning—The people continued in daily pleasures—eating, drinking, and marrying—without fear of the approaching flood.
Sudden judgment—When the flood came, it was unexpected. Life went on as usual until divine wrath broke forth.
In these five signs, we find an almost perfect reflection of the modern age. The 21st-century world, too, boasts of progress but drowns in rebellion. Truth is mocked, righteousness despised, and godliness dismissed as obsolete. As in Noah’s time, divine patience is being tested.
The Ark of Obedience: Noah’s Example of Faith
While the earth was corrupt, one man stood apart. Hebrews 11:7 (NKJV) declares:
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”
Noah’s faith was not passive. It was active obedience. He believed God’s warning and acted accordingly, constructing an ark even when rain had never yet fallen upon the earth. The world ridiculed him, but his steadfast obedience became the dividing line between salvation and destruction.
So it is today. Christ is the true Ark. Those who believe, repent, and enter Him by faith will be saved when judgment falls. Acts 4:12 reminds us:
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The Comparison: Then and Now
When Jesus likened His coming to the days of Noah, He was not describing the flood itself, but the moral atmosphere before it. Society was prosperous, self-indulgent, and utterly unaware of impending judgment.
Our world mirrors that pattern. We live in an age of technological marvels and moral collapse. Sin is rebranded as freedom; disobedience is celebrated as progress. The family structure—”marrying and giving in marriage”—is distorted, and the sacred covenant of marriage has been defiled. Violence, lust, greed, and pride dominate global culture.
Our generation, similar to the pre-flood era, disregards the plea for change. People say, “Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:4). However, as Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9-10 (NKJV):
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…”
The Apostolic Warnings: Perilous Times Shall Come
Paul’s Prophecy
The Apostle Paul accurately characterized our generation in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV):
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”
Every phrase of this passage echoes our modern reality—narcissism, greed, rebellion, violence, and the counterfeit church that holds the outward form of godliness but denies its transforming power.
Paul warned not only of moral decline but also of a spiritual counterfeit—religion without repentance. It is the appearance of faith without the cross, sermons without Scripture, and churches without holiness.
Peter’s Reminder
Peter, too, recalled the generation of Noah. 1 Peter 3:20 (NKJV) says:
“…who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.”
God’s patience is extraordinary. For more than a century, while Noah built the ark, judgment was withheld. Yet when the time came, His justice was swift. The same pattern is unfolding now—grace extended, repentance offered, but time running out.
Lessons from Old Testament Disobedience
To understand divine judgment, we must also examine how rebellion operated throughout Israel’s history. The Old Testament is a record of God’s holiness confronting human defiance.
The Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram
In Numbers 16, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rose against Moses, questioning his authority:
“They gathered together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?'” (Numbers 16:3 NKJV)
Their challenge was not merely against Moses—it was against God’s established order. The result was catastrophic:
“Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up…” (Numbers 16:31–32 NKJV)
This act of judgment stands as a vivid warning that defiance against God’s leadership and truth brings destruction. The same spirit of rebellion—the refusal to submit to divine authority—is widespread today, both in the world and, tragically, in parts of the church.
Israel’s Repeated Disobedience
Despite witnessing God’s miracles in Egypt and the wilderness, Israel repeatedly rebelled. Psalm 78:10–11 (NKJV) laments:
“They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them.”
And in Hebrews 3:16-19 (NKJV), the writer warns believers using Israel’s example:
“For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”
Their unbelief barred them from the Promised Land—just as unbelief today will bar many from entering the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Pattern of Disobedience: From Eden to the End
From Adam’s fall in the Garden to the corruption of Noah’s world, to the murmuring in the wilderness, and the apostasy of the last days—the storyline is one of repeated rebellion against God’s Word. However, in every generation, God raises a remnant who obey, believe, and walk with Him.
In Noah’s Day, it was one family. In Moses’ Day, it was Joshua and Caleb. In Elijah’s time, it was seven thousand who had not bowed to Baal. Today, it is the faithful church—the Bride preparing herself for her soon-coming King.
Romans 15:4 (NKJV) reminds us:
“For whatever things were written before, they were written for our learning, so that we, through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.”
These stories are not relics; they are prophetic blueprints.
Living in the Modern “Days of Noah”
What does this mean for believers now? It means that the same conditions that preceded the flood now surround us:
Moral perversion has become entertainment.
Violence fills the earth, whether through war, abortion, or social hatred.
Mockery of righteousness is applauded.
Apathy toward eternity is widespread—even in the church.
But amid the darkness, God calls His people to live differently. Like Noah, we are to build the “ark” of obedience—our lives anchored in Christ. We are to warn others that the flood of judgment is coming, not of water this time, but of fire and final reckoning.
2 Peter 3:6-7 (NKJV) declares:
“…by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth, which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the Day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
The flood was water; the next judgment will be fire.
A Call to Wakefulness
In Luke 17:26-30 (NKJV), Jesus repeated the same warning:
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, and they were given in marriage, until the Day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot, even so will it be in the Day when the Son of Man is revealed.”
The message is clear: spiritual sleep leads to sudden destruction. The people of Noah’s Day did not stop living—they stopped listening. They ignored the preacher of righteousness and continued in pleasure until it was too late.
Modern Christianity’s sad state: the warnings are announced, but hearts are unchanged. Many sit in churches, hearing sermons but not repenting. They have “a form of godliness but deny its power” (2 Timothy 3:5).
The Hope Within the Warning
Yet even in judgment, God extends mercy. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 (NKJV) offers encouragement to believers:
“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the Day. We belong to the Day and light. Therefore, let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.”
Noah’s generation perished, but Noah lived because he walked with God (Genesis 6:9). Likewise, the flood of judgment will not overcome those who walk with Christ today.
The call is not to fear, but to faith—to return to holiness, reverence, and watchfulness.
Conclusion: The Final Call Before the Storm
The words of Jesus still ring like thunder over the modern world:
“As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:37)
The signs are everywhere—violence, corruption, spiritual decay, and a world intoxicated with pleasure. Yet the door of the ark remains open. The Gospel is still being preached. Grace still flows.
But the door will not remain open forever. In Genesis 7:16 (NKJV), after Noah and his family entered the ark, it says simply:
“And the Lord shut him in.”
One Day soon, God will shut the door again—this time not to protect from rain, but to separate the righteous from the ungodly forever.
Therefore, let every believer rise from slumber. Let every church return to holiness. Let every preacher cry aloud and spare not. The coming of the Lord is near. The voice of warning still echoes across the ages:
“Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44 NKJV)
And just as it was in the days of Noah, so it is now.
May the faithful find grace in His eyes. May the disobedient awaken before the storm breaks. And may the world know—Jesus Christ is coming soon.
Children deserve to grow up in safety and love. But in some parts of the world, danger shadows every moment of childhood. These are not just risky places for travelers — they’re home to millions of children who wake up each day surrounded by war, hunger, and instability.
Below, we highlight 10 of the most dangerous places for children today, along with their stories of courage and resilience. Throughout our 75 years of work, we’ve seen one truth in the hardest places to be a child: danger is constant — but so is hope.
The top 10 most dangerous places
Click a country name to go directly to its section. In alphabetical order:
“We had no idea that land was dangerous. These are lands our families have farmed for generations. Our children played there all the time. No one warned us,” said Sharafuddin, whose sons, 12-year-old Salahuddin and 10-year-old Najmuddin, were killed by a mine while playing on their family farm in May 2025.
“The risk is real. Our teams have unknowingly driven over UXOs [Unexploded Explosive Ordnance] before, thankfully, without incident. But with no comprehensive maps or warning systems in place, the threat is everywhere,” said Hayatullah Tayeeq, World Vision’s zonal manager in Badghis, Afghanistan. “It hasn’t stopped us from delivering aid, but it adds an invisible layer of danger to every field visit.”
The Central African Republic has faced decades of violent uprisings and broken peace deals. Since 2013, ongoing conflict and instability have displaced millions of people. The ongoing challenges include:
Protracted conflict has led to widespread violence, insecurity, and displacement.
Approximately 79% of the population lives in extreme poverty.
Grave violations against children are among the highest in the world, including:
Recruitment and use by armed groups
Abduction
Sexual violence
One of the world’s highest child mortality rates due to preventable diseases, hunger, and lack of healthcare.
Children like Richard (pictured above) in the CAR face staggering challenges, including one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. In displacement camps, their most urgent needs are food, water, and shelter. But as settlements become more established, recovery begins — and so does education, often under tarps or in makeshift classrooms.
That’s when a birth certificate becomes crucial.
“I’m happy to receive the birth certificate because it helps me to be recognized. To be someone,” said Richard.
Without legal documentation, children cannot take national exams, graduate from school, or obtain an ID or passport. Birth certificates open doors to opportunity — and affirm a child’s identity and future.
“The importance of a birth certificate is that it allows you to take an exam, like the B.E.C., or earn a diploma, or get a passport. It affirms who I am,” he said.
As the primary host country for Venezuelan refugees and migrants, Colombia has become one of the most dangerous places for children affected by the regional migration crisis. Instead of finding safety there, many face new dangers:
Recruitment by armed groups
Gender-based violence and sexual exploitation
Trafficking and family separation
Lack of access to education, healthcare, and shelter
Psychological trauma from violence and displacement
Armed conflict, violence, displacement, and humanitarian gaps have created multiple layers of risk, particularly in border and conflict-affected regions like Catatumbo.
More than 2.8 million Venezuelans, including 800,000 children, are living in Colombia. Children describe life in Colombia’s conflict zones as terrifying. Aime, a 14-year-old from Venezuela, told UNICEF, “We can’t leave our houses after 9 p.m. We can’t even go to the store because of the fear that they’ll take us away or they will recruit us. Young people are taken, without understanding what they are going to do to them. They are taken by force.”
“Entire families, including children and adolescents, have been forced to leave their homes in search of refuge in other parts of the country and at the border with Venezuela,” said Peter Gape, national director for World Vision in Colombia and Venezuela. “We ask for your prayers for those suffering from this crisis, for our team working tirelessly to provide humanitarian aid, and for a prompt resolution that brings peace and hope to the affected communities.”
In the eastern DRC, spikes in violence are a continual threat, especially against children. The United Nations reports that children are being recruited and armed, which is a grave violation of international law. In South Kivu, thousands have been displaced, and millions of children face increased risks of exploitation, trauma, hunger, and disease outbreaks. The ongoing challenges include:
Over 15 million children live in instability.
A deadly cholera epidemic has spread across six provinces, with more than 18,000 cases and 364 deaths reported since January 2025.
Flooding and unsafe water increase the threat of illness
In mining provinces like Lualaba and Haut-Katanga, child labor is widespread. Tens of thousands of children work in cobalt and copper extraction.
In towns like Kakanda, children as young as 6 work to support their families by selling food on the streets, carrying water, or caring for younger siblings. Children like the young girl shown above dig through toxic rubble with their bare hands, hoping to earn enough for a meal. Without safety gear, they risk injury, illness, or even death. Eleven-year-old Chantal* (not pictured) began working in the mines at age 9 after her father died. “I haven’t been to school in three months,” says Chantal*, who cooks and cleans for her family instead of attending class. “Sometimes I was so tired I’d fall asleep on the ground, right among the rocks,” she says.
Though Congolese law prohibits underage labor in mining, extreme poverty forces many families to rely on income from their children. Most earn less than $2 a day.
Children in Gaza face unparalleled hardships, with no safe place to seek refuge amid a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Movement restrictions and displacements are causing a spiraling economic crisis in Gaza and the West Bank, as families are unable to harvest crops and have depleted their savings. Many people in the West Bank are experiencing acute food insecurity, with nearly half a million facing severe hunger. Since January 2025, an escalation of armed violence has devastated cities across the northern West Bank, displacing over 40,000 people, destroying homes, and forcing dozens of schools to close. The ongoing challenges include:
Death and injury from armed conflict, famine conditions, severe malnutrition, and starvation.
Access to food, clean water, and medical care is severely limited.
Trauma and protection risks rise for children, especially those separated from their families.
World Vision currently operates in the West Bank and broader Middle East region, providing emergency humanitarian aid and support.
“We had a routine, a home, and hope,” she says. But when her family was ordered to leave, they had minutes to pack. Later, when Suha and her husband returned to retrieve their belongings, they were shot at. “We had to run for our lives. We left everything behind in the street.”
Suha, her husband, and daughter first found shelter in an overcrowded family home before moving in with her parents. Her husband is now unemployed, and the family relies entirely on humanitarian aid.
“It breaks our hearts,” Suha says. “We feel ashamed to ask for help, but we have no other choice.”
Suha has not yet been able to re-enroll her daughter in kindergarten due to financial hardship. The family’s future remains uncertain.
Wista, a small business owner, fled with her 5-year-old daughter, Judenie (both pictured above), after gangs threatened to overrun their community. “I had no choice but to leave everything behind,” Wista said. Their journey to safety involved crossing rivers, accidents, and days on foot.
“The little girl walked and walked for miles, but she found the strength in God to continue. I was in pain. We crossed rivers on a small canoe,” Wista said. They traveled on motorcycles that crashed into rocks. “I wanted to lie down in the bushes and sleep forever. But I kept thinking of my daughter and the need to protect her.”
At a shelter, Wista was too weak to eat or drink. Judenie, missing her school and friends, said quietly, “I was scared and tired. But Mama said we have to move.” “
Though they escaped the violence, the trauma remains. Wista reflected, “All I wanted was to protect my daughter and survive. But I never imagined how hard the road would be.”
Children in Myanmar are experiencing a deepening humanitarian crisis marked by displacement, violence, and hunger. The situation has been exacerbated by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake on March 28, 2025, near Mandalay and Sagaing, causing widespread destruction. The major challenges include:
About 50 homes in their village were destroyed, along with the school, the local monastery, and the community water supply. Families have slept outside, fearful of aftershocks.
The disaster has also disrupted livelihoods. Alinka’s family, who sell goods in the market, are struggling with rising prices and damaged roads.
“With monsoon season around the corner, the threat of diseases like diarrhea and dengue is growing fast. Children’s lives are still at risk. We need your help now more than ever to ensure the most vulnerable children are not forgotten,” said Dr. Kyi Minn, World Vision’s national director in Myanmar.
Conflict has engulfed Sudan since April 2023, forcing millions from their homes and plunging the country into a deepening humanitarian crisis. The challenges include:
An estimated 14.6 million people fled their communities — the world’s largest displacement crisis
Conflict has forced families to flee with little more than the clothes on their backs. In Port Sudan, World Vision supports displaced communities with essentials like access to clean water, shelter kits, psychosocial support, and more. But insecurity continues to limit humanitarian access, even as a deadly cholera outbreak spreads, endangering already vulnerable children and families.
Sinein and his mother, Assanea, are the only survivors of their family after fleeing conflict in Sudan.
“I lost my children and my husband, who was my backbone. …” Assanea said. After seeking safety in Chad, they face the heartbreak of starting over. “If I found a secure place to stay, that is enough for me. I can’t go home — there’s no one and nothing there for me.”
Syria remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a child — not only because of violence, but because of the invisible, long-lasting wounds of displacement and trauma. The challenges include:
Protection threats: exploitation, abuse, and loss of education.
In early 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck both Syria and Turkey (officially the Republic of Türkiye), affecting nearly 9 million people who had already been impacted by war and displacement. In southern Türkiye, near the Syrian border, thousands of Syrian refugees, many fleeing conflict for over a decade, lived through destruction once more.
Sara (pictured above) is among those affected by displacement. The Syrian teen has lived in Şanlıurfa, Turkey, for 13 years and has experienced many struggles of displacement. She recalled one fire that swept through her last displacement camp. “I still remember how it roared through container by container.… That day was so hard.”
Through initiatives like the LIFT Project, World Vision is helping young survivors like Sara rebuild their inner worlds and rediscover joy, connection, and hope.
Sara stepped into the role of a facilitator on April 23, 2025, painting children’s faces and spreading smiles. “I want to go back to school next year and become a doctor — a child doctor — to help kids like me everywhere,” she said.
Nearly a decade of conflict. Yemen’s children face one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, marked by hunger, disease, and collapsing health systems. The challenges include:
Ongoing airstrikes and conflict continue to endanger lives.
Four out of 5 children need humanitarian assistance.
Since World Vision and partner organization Medair began their outreach, community health has improved. Parents are learning to spot and treat malnutrition early, helping turn despair into hope.
Hadi, the clinic manager, added: “With the support of World Vision and Medair, the clinic became a vital hub for food and medical assistance.”
What is the most dangerous country for children in 2025?
While all 10 countries listed face extreme threats, Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen are experiencing some of the worst humanitarian conditions, including severe hunger, displacement, and the collapse of essential services.
These countries are marked by armed conflict, forced displacement, hunger, disease outbreaks, and limited access to education and protection. Children are at risk of recruitment by armed groups, trafficking, malnutrition, and even death.
How does World Vision help children in conflict zones?
World Vision works in many of the world’s most fragile countries to provide lifesaving assistance, including access to clean water, nutritious food, healthcare, psychosocial support, and child protection programs.
How can I help children living in the world’s most dangerous places?
You can support children in crisis by:
Giving:Your gift can deliver hope and practical help to children and families when disasters and conflict strike in the most dangerous places.
Sponsoring a child: Help equip a child, their family, and community for a brighter future. Sponsorship helps meet urgent needs today — and supports lasting empowerment through physical and spiritual resources.
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
OpenAI’s new LLM exposes the secrets of how AI really works
The news: ChatGPT maker OpenAI has built an experimental large language model that is far easier to understand than typical models.
Why it matters: It’s a big deal, because today’s LLMs are black boxes: Nobody fully understands how they do what they do. Building a model that is more transparent sheds light on how LLMs work in general, helping researchers figure out why models hallucinate, why they go off the rails, and just how far we should trust them with critical tasks. Read the full story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
Google DeepMind is using Gemini to train agents inside Goat Simulator 3
Google DeepMind has built a new video-game-playing agent called SIMA 2 that can navigate and solve problems in 3D virtual worlds. The company claims it’s a big step toward more general-purpose agents and better real-world robots.
The company first demoed SIMA (which stands for “scalable instructable multiworld agent”) last year. But this new version has been built on top of Gemini, the firm’s flagship large language model, which gives the agent a huge boost in capability. Read the full story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
These technologies could help put a stop to animal testing
Earlier this week, the UK’s science minister announced an ambitious plan: to phase out animal testing.
Testing potential skin irritants on animals will be stopped by the end of next year. By 2027, researchers are “expected to end” tests of the strength of Botox on mice. And drug tests in dogs and nonhuman primates will be reduced by 2030.
It’s good news for activists and scientists who don’t want to test on animals. And it’s timely too: In recent decades, we’ve seen dramatic advances in technologies that offer new ways to model the human body and test the effects of potential therapies, without experimenting on animals. Read the full story.
—Jessica Hamzelou
This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Chinese hackers used Anthropic’s AI to conduct an espionage campaign It automated a number of attacks on corporations and governments in September. (WSJ $) + The AI was able to handle the majority of the hacking workload itself. (NYT $) + Cyberattacks by AI agents are coming. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Blue Origin successfully launched and landed its New Glenn rocket It managed to deploy two NASA satellites into space without a hitch. (CNN) + The New Glenn is the company’s largest reusable rocket. (FT $) + The launch had been delayed twice before. (WP $)
3 Brace yourself for flu season It started five weeks earlier than usual in the UK, and the US is next. (Ars Technica) + Here’s why we don’t have a cold vaccine. Yet. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Google is hosting a Border Protection facial recognition app The app alerts officials whether to contact ICE about identified immigrants. (404 Media) + Another effort to track ICE raids was just taken offline. (MIT Technology Review)
5 OpenAI is trialling group chats in ChatGPT It’d essentially make AI a participant in a conversation of up to 20 people. (Engadget)
6 A TikTok stunt sparked debate over how charitable America’s churches really are Content creator Nikalie Monroe asked churches for help feeding her baby. Very few stepped up. (WP $)
7 Indian startups are attempting to tackle air pollution But their solutions are far beyond the means of the average Indian household. (NYT $) + OpenAI is huge in India. Its models are steeped in caste bias. (MIT Technology Review)
8 An AI tool could help reduce wasted efforts to transplant organs It predicts how likely the would-be recipient is to die during the brief transplantation window. (The Guardian) + Putin says organ transplants could grant immortality. Not quite. (MIT Technology Review)
9 3D-printing isn’t making prosthetics more affordable It turns out that plastic prostheses are often really uncomfortable. (IEEE Spectrum) + These prosthetics break the mold with third thumbs, spikes, and superhero skins. (MIT Technology Review)
10 What happens when relationships with AI fall apart Can you really file for divorce from an LLM? (Wired $) + It’s surprisingly easy to stumble into a relationship with an AI chatbot. (MIT Technology Review)
Quote of the day
“It’s a funky time.”
—Aileen Lee, founder and managing partner of Cowboy Ventures, tells TechCrunch the AI boom has torn up the traditional investment rulebook.
One more thing
Restoring an ancient lake from the rubble of an unfinished airport in Mexico City
Weeks after Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in 2018, he controversially canceled ambitious plans to build an airport on the deserted site of the former Lake Texcoco—despite the fact it was already around a third complete.
Instead, he tasked Iñaki Echeverria, a Mexican architect and landscape designer, with turning it into a vast urban park, an artificial wetland that aims to transform the future of the entire Valley region.
But as López Obrador’s presidential team nears its end, the plans for Lake Texcoco’s rebirth could yet vanish. Read the full story.
—Matthew Ponsford
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ Maybe Gen Z is onto something when it comes to vibe dating. + Trust AC/DC to give the fans what they want, performing Jailbreak for the first time since 1991. + Nieves González, the artist behind Lily Allen’s new album cover, has an eye for detail. + Here’s what AI determines is a catchy tune.
An unprecedented number of changes for a Private Member’s Bill have been tabled by Peers seeking to amend Kim Leadbeater’s seriously flawed assisted suicide Bill.
Help your child persevere, an essential life skill, and important to running the race of faith.
Perseverance is essential for successful living. It allows us to consistently pursue a goal or unwaveringly live out our beliefs, regardless of obstacles or difficulties. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, the apostle Paul compares the pursuit of the Christian life to a footrace. His vivid analogy shows the importance of persevering in the race of faith in order to attain our spiritual reward.
As you teach your children about perseverance, and help your child persevere, consider these four biblical principles:
Training
Only the foolish attempt to run a marathon without preparation. Simple day-to-day disciplines, such as prayer and studying the Bible, prepare one’s faith to endure and help prevent those in the race from being disqualified.
Sustainable pace
Christians sometimes try to accomplish too much too quickly, relying on their own strength rather than on God’s. Those runners often find themselves fatigued or burned out. Waiting on the Lord’s timing sets an appropriate pace.
Staying the course
In the middle of long races, runners may “hit the wall,” a point where they feel physically and emotionally spent. From their perspective, the finish line is far away and quitting is a strong temptation. When Christians continue running, choosing obedience over emotions, they will eventually experience a “second wind,” a renewal of God’s strength to sustain them.
Strong finish
God uses the challenges of the faith race to develop people to be mature and complete in Him. Just as athletes are crowned with victory wreaths and medals, God rewards those who persevere to the end.
You can use the following activities and discussions to help your child understand and apply these important truths about perseverance.
— Rick Cole
Key points to help your child persevere
Maintaining spiritual disciplines and following God’s pace helps our faith to endure.
When we feel like giving up, God’s strength sustains us.
God rewards those who persevere to the end.
Family memory verse
Hebrews 10:36 “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
Scripture study
For a more in-depth study on the purpose of family, read these Bible verses:
Puppet: (whispering) I am whispering (shouting) and shouting.
Parent: I know that, but why?
Puppet: (whispering) I’m practicing my quiet voice.
Parent: Why?
Puppet: My mom wants me to take a nap and rest every day.
Parent: What does napping have to do with practicing your quiet voice?
Puppet: If I wake up early from my nap, I can look through books, but I also have to whisper. Rest time is a long time to whisper.
Parent: Do you know what endurance means?
Puppet: Endurance? That’s a big word, but it’s not as big as klufkeykeykey.
Parent: What does that mean?
Puppet: Nothing. I made it up.
Parent: Well, unlike your pretend word, endurance means something.
Puppet: What does it mean?
Parent: It means doing something that is difficult for a long time.
Puppet: I don’t like that word.
Parent: That’s too bad because good things come from endurance.
Puppet: Like what?
Parent: Well, like when you must take a break and rest from playing all day.
Puppet: Nothing good can come out of that.
Parent: It’s good because your body gets to take a break, and quiet time helps you relax.
Puppet: Hmm, well I do use my body a lot for playing.
Parent: The nap will give you more strength to play.
Puppet: Okay. I’ll do it.
Parent: Good things do come from endurance.
Puppet: But for now, I’m going to play and be loud. Bye!
—Andrea Gutierrez
School-age Activity
Perseverance is a big concept for 4- to 7-year-olds, but they are already learning this skill. Begin a discussion in this way:
To persevere means to stay with something even when you don’t feel like it. Are you discouraged by having to brush your teeth every day? Do you ever feel you’d rather not have to clean your room after you play? What are some other things you have to do on a regular basis even when you don’t feel like it?
Even if [insert one responsibility your child mentioned] isn’t always fun, why should you do it? [Help your child understand that personal hygiene keeps her healthy; cleaning her room keeps her toys from getting lost or broken; and doing homework gives her theknowledge and skills she’ll need in the future.]
What does God think about perseverance? [Read the verses listed in the Scripture study above with your child. Explain that God honors those who persevere for His sake.]
Pray with your child: Ask God to help your child persevere through challenges that are part of her everyday world.
—Pam Woody
Tween Activity
Help your child persevere and explore the rewards of perseverance with a household candy hunt.
First, buy a bag of fun-size candy bars and allot three bars for each child. Write names on the candy bars to show which ones belong to whom, then hide them around your home. Make one bar easy to find for each kid, but hide the others in hard-to-find locations.
Next, set your kids loose hunting for candy. When they’re stumped, ask them if they want to give up. If they refuse, give them clues that help them easily find the candy.
Once all the candy is found, ask:
Why didn’t you give up when it got hard to find your candy?
Not giving up is called “perseverance.” What helped you persevere?
How is the “race” described here like our hunt for hidden candy?
Your reward for persevering today was candy. What kind of rewards do we experience by following Jesus — even when it’s hard?
How can you persevere as you follow God this week?
Wrap up with prayer, thanking God for the fact that He never gives up on us.
—Mike Nappa
Time with your teen
My daughter Selah was a high school senior who longed for a college acceptance letter and a generous financial package. She spent months researching grant opportunities, writing essays, studying for college entrance exams and polishing her résumé.
As the stress of senior year peaked, Selah understood in a new way what perseverance really meant. She pressed on in spite of the frustrations and disappointments, continuing to write, to wait and to dream of a college adventure in the South.
Life is full of challenges that require kids and adults alike to persevere. But in today’s culture of instant gratification and drive-through demands, your teens also need to understand the importance of perseverance. They may need to labor for a long time without seeing immediate results in their sports, grades and extracurricular activities. They may need to work at a part-time job they don’t enjoy, or model perseverance in resisting peer pressure. Start a discussion with your teens about ways to accomplish long-term goals without letting discouragement derail them.
One way to do this is to be honest about sharing situations or obstacles in your own life that still require vigilant effort. Together, research some of God’s promises to those who persevere (consider Romans 5:3-4; James 1:2-4;James 5:10-12). Ask your teens, “What goals are you working toward — a college education, a career, maybe even marriage?” Discuss how perseverance will help your teens to accomplish those goals and then agree to encourage one another amid the challenges of life.
Learning about perseverance firsthand certainly paid off for my daughter. Selah not only received the coveted acceptance letter from her dream school, but she was awarded a substantial financial package as well. Perhaps even more important, the perseverance she developed in high school prepared my daughter for success in college and beyond.
Hagar’s story in the Bible shows us an incredible story of God’s love. Genesis 16 tells the story of a pregnant slave woman, who is mistreated by her mistress so badly she fears for her life.
The mistreatment reaches a point where the woman, Hagar, feels that her only recourse is to put an entire desert between her and her masters. Alone in the wilderness, Hagar has a transformative encounter that will show her God’s love and teach her about sharing God’s love with others.
Genesis 16:7 tells us, “The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness.” The first thing we notice about Hagar’s story in the Bible is that this encounter was intentional. “The angel of the Lord” is generally understood to be an Old Testament reference to Jesus. In this verse, we learn that Jesus “found” Hagar, implying that he was looking for her. Jesus had seen what was happening, and as he watched Hagar flee into the wilderness, he followed after her.
Although their interaction was brief, it had a tremendous impact on Hagar. Jesus told her to go back to Abram and Sarai (their names hadn’t been changed to Abraham and Sarah yet). But instead of wondering why Jesus would send Hagar back to an abusive situation, we need to see how Hagar understood this moment. She would not be returning as just a slave; she would also be returning as a minister, sharing God’s love with others. And that made all the difference in the world.
Ministering to others
We often use the term “minister” to refer specifically to pastors, but the Bible says it is anyone who brings comfort and hope to another person (Matthew 25:31‐46). We can all be ministers in the biblical sense when we care for others and invest ourselves in their lives. In Hagar’s story in the Bible, choosing to share God’s love with her masters made not only a difference for Hagar but also Abram and Sarai. Her story was so important because she was returning with a message they needed to hear.
Up to this point in the Bible, God is described with grandiose language. He is the almighty Creator God. The same God who had promised Abram and Sarai they would have children, but they remained childless. They were wondering whether God had forgotten about them. A minister with a message of hope then comes into their desperate situation: God has not forgotten — He sees them!
Hagar knows He sees them because God cared enough about her to chase her into the desert. It is a message they needed to hear then, and we still need to hear today. It’s a message of love that we share with others. God sees you.
Notice how God chose to deliver the message to Abram and Sarai. He decided to reveal His concern for them by sending them a person who had a story of a personal encounter with God. Sharing the stories of our encounters with God is the essence of ministry and sharing God’s love with others. Being present with people when they face moments of difficulty comforts them and reminds them of God’s presence. God is present in the very moments when we enter into other’s suffering. We become a vehicle for the healing presence of God to restore lives and repair brokenness.
Raising Your Kids to Defend Their Faith
“Raising Your Kids to Defend Their Faith” is a series of five short videos that'll help get you started in teaching your kids the fundamentals of Christianity, so they can understand it, explain it, and defend it.
Here are some things you can do with your family to remind yourselves of God’s presence in your lives and also take this message of hope into a world that desperately needs it.
1. Talk about your struggles
Sometimes we feel the need to hide what we are going through. We may not want to burden those around us, or we might be embarrassed by our situation. Whatever the reason, hiding our struggles makes it nearly impossible for others to minister to us. Being open about what we are going through opens the door for empathy and compassion. As parents, it will also set an excellent example for our children to be vulnerable and open to ministry from God. None of us can do this on our own. Why pretend as though we can?
2. Show compassion
When other people share their struggles, it is not the time for us to judge them or come swooping in with suggestions for how to “fix it.” Instead, it is the perfect opportunity for us to demonstrate the heart of Jesus (Matthew 14:13‐21) and share God’s love. His compassion for people led to some of the most famous miracles in the Bible. Jesus’ compassion for those who were hurting is one of His defining traits. When we show that same compassion, we live by his example and can more effectively share God’s love with others.
3. Get creative
Not all of us have a bunch of extra time or money lying around to share with people. If you do have either (or both), then by all means, use those blessings to be generous with others! But don’t let a lack of extra money stop you from helping others.
One great way to help is to make a meal for another family. One way to do this is to make the same meal for your family that night too. It can save you time and resources to make a double portion of a meal instead of making two separate meals.
Your whole family can be involved in this process too. If your children can’t help prepare food, have them write encouraging notes or draw pictures you can put in the bag. Brainstorm with your family other ideas for how to help people who are in need.
4. Presence (not presents!) is the greatest gift
So many times, what someone needs is simply the presence of another person in their lives. You may not know what to say, and that’s okay. Often nothing needs to be said. We cannot microwave the healing process. When someone is hurting, it will take time to heal. Being present with them goes much farther than coming up with the correct platitude. Teach your kids to look for opportunities to share the love of Christ by being present with those in need.
Hagar is the only person in the Bible who gave God a name. She named Him “The God Who Sees Me” because He arrived in her time of need and was present. Hagar’s story in the Bible teaches us that our God cares deeply about each of us. When we are willing to share in the pain of others, we bring God’s healing presence into the situation.
My wife and I knew some people who were going through a difficult time. We invited them over to our house and spent the evening with them. It was as simple as just being together, talking, and sharing a meal. As they prepared to leave, they looked at us and said, “Thank you for loving us.” That’s the way Hagar felt when God arrived, and it’s how you can make anyone feel when you are willing to be present.
My wife, Leslie, and I lived a fairy-tale life. A home in an exciting, upscale neighborhood. Two beautiful children. The exhilaration and challenge of climbing the corporate ladder. Sure, we had issues to work through in our marriage, but our relationship remained strong and secure. Our deep love for each other smoothed over a lot of rough edges.
Then unexpectedly, someone came between us. It wasn’t an affair. It wasn’t the resurfacing of an old flame. That someone was none other than God himself.
Leslie announced one day that, after a long period of searching, she had decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ. To me, this was awful news! “Look, if you need that kind of crutch,” I sneered at her, “if you can’t face life without believing in a make-believe god, then go ahead. But don’t give the church any of our money and don’t try to get me to go anywhere on Sunday mornings.”
Nice guy, huh?
That was the opening salvo in what turned out to be a turbulent, emotion-churning phase of our marriage. Our values began to clash, our attitudes started to conflict, and our priorities and desires were suddenly at odds. More than once I let my frustration with Leslie’s relationship with Christ spill over into a tirade of shouting and door slamming.
How to live out your faith in a mismatched marriage
Needless to say, I wasn’t making it easy for my wife to grow in her new faith. To Leslie, Christianity wasn’t a crutch, it was a source of wisdom, comfort and joy unlike anything she’d ever experienced. And she couldn’t share these experiences with the man she loved the most! Every time she tried to help me understand, I would ridicule her or ignore her pleas. Leslie later said this experience was like visiting some beautiful and romantic city, drinking in its wonderful sights and sounds, but knowing I was neither interested in going with her nor hearing about it when she got back. It was the first time since we met as teenagers that we couldn’t experience something together.
As for me, I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue experiencing anything with my wife. I felt like a victim of a bait and switch. I had married one Leslie — the fun-loving, risk-taking Leslie — and she was being transformed into someone different. I wanted the old Leslie back!
Everything culminated one hot, humid day while I was mowing the lawn after another of our arguments. “That’s it,” I muttered as I plowed through her flower bed. “This isn’t what I signed up for! Maybe it’s time to think about getting out of this marriage.”
But before it was too late, Leslie learned how to live her faith in a way that began to attract me rather than repel me. She learned how to grow and even flourish in her relationship with Christ, despite discouragement from me. Though Leslie would admit that she made mistakes, she was the one who restored equilibrium to our relationship.
How to honor God … and your unbelieving spouse
While there’s no one-size-fits-all formula that will instantly revolutionize a mismatched marriage, a few principles contributed immeasurably to the health of our relationship. If you’re married to an unbeliever, the following may help you thrive in your own spiritual mismatch:
Shift your focus from your struggles to your Savior. When you’re being pulled simultaneously in two directions — toward God by the Holy Spirit and away from Him by your spouse — it’s important to remember where your priorities should lie. Staying riveted on the plight of a mismatched marriage bogs us down in our troubles rather than lifting our eyes toward the One who deserves our primary allegiance, the One who meets needs that our spouse never could. God recalibrates our life, and He empowers us to love our spouse when that person is not very lovable. He loves our partner even more than we do! So pursue the joy of God — resting in His presence — rather than the happiness of better external circumstances.
It’s true that the best ways to cultivate an ongoing intimate relationship with God — praying, studying Scripture, attending church and engaging in fellowship with other believers — are the very activities that unbelieving spouses frequently discourage. “I learned that if I wanted to pursue various spiritual disciplines to keep close to God,” Leslie says, “I had to do them under Lee’s radar screen.”
Leslie never tried to hide from me that she loved Jesus and wanted to grow in her relationship with Him. I was quite aware of her devotion to Christ and the fact that she was praying and studying the Bible. However, Leslie was wise to pursue her spiritual growth out of my presence. That practical concession enabled her to take the next step in keeping her relational priorities straight.
Make your spouse the No. 1 human being in your life. One reason for my angry outbursts during our mismatched time was the feeling that I was losing the woman I loved. To put it bluntly, I was jealous of Jesus! For the first time in our marriage, Leslie’s emotional needs were being met by someone other than me. It felt like Leslie had broken our marriage agreement by seeking comfort and encouragement from someone else.
Over time, I saw that Leslie’s devotion to Christ actually reinforced her love for me and made her want to strengthen our bond. Instead of ignoring me in favor of Christ, church and her Christian friends, Leslie redoubled her efforts to be a caring, thoughtful spouse. I could see that I was still the most important person in her life — just as she was in mine.
Our different beliefs didn’t mean we had to stop relating in other areas. We were married because we enjoyed each other’s company and shared a lot of mutual interests. Leslie made sure that we were able to continue pursuing those things together. And though she desperately wanted me to recognize my need for Christ, she continued to love me as her partner — not as her project.
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Resist focusing on your spouse’s unbelief. There’s a natural tendency in a mismatched marriage to become obsessed about the one big shortcoming in your partner — that he or she is not a Christian. For a while in our marriage, I couldn’t shake the sense that I was letting Leslie down, that I was in some sense a failure as a husband.
Fortunately, Leslie recognized that when she tried to “fix” me by stressing my shortcoming, she found that this actually reinforced my bitterness. She saw that it would be healthier for our marriage if she would emphasize all the things she loved about me. The more she accentuated my positive attributes, the more motivated I was to live up to her praises.
I considered myself an atheist, but Leslie refused to let that term define me. Instead, she tried to see me as God saw me: as a treasured part of His creation, a human being whose soul was etched with the likeness of Him, a wayward son whom He longed to connect with.
Pursue a “Christian” marriage by living out godly principles in your life. At one point, Leslie had had enough. I had belittled her beliefs once too often. Everything within her was itching to fight sarcasm with sarcasm, to give me a dose of my own medicine. What could be more emotionally satisfying than verbally cutting me down to size?
With God’s help, she resisted that impulse, realizing that retaliation would only fuel a downward spiral in our relationship. She fought the temptation to sink to my level and give me the tongue-lashing that I admittedly deserved.
The Christian principles that you bring to your marriage will change the flavor of your relationship. Be a truth teller, a servant, a forgiver, a person of humility, integrity and kindness. The extent to which your relationship can be “Christian” is the extent to which you commit yourself to following Jesus and letting His influence permeate your life.
Teach kids Christian values, but don’t turn them against your spouse. When Leslie wanted our kids, Alison and Kyle, to attend Sunday school, she presented the idea to me in a way that was appealing to a religious skeptic. She pointed out that this was an opportunity for our children to develop strong moral values, something I did indeed want for them. As a believer, you have the privilege and responsibility to show your children how wonderful it is to know Jesus, but if Mommy or Daddy doesn’t go to church or seek a relationship with God, your kids may wonder if there is something not-so-wonderful about their mother or father. Leslie was careful to avoid undermining my authority or show anything less than respect for me. She didn’t want the children thinking she looked down on me because I wasn’t a follower of Jesus.
“When Alison asked why Daddy didn’t go to church, I told her it was because we had different opinions about God,” Leslie says. “I told her everyone had to come to their own conclusions about Jesus, and that I still loved and respected Daddy. At the time, my daughter was too young to ask a lot of sophisticated follow-up questions, but it seemed important to her that I continually reaffirmed my love for her and for her dad.”
When Leslie and the kids left for church, she never suggested that I was a bad person for staying at home. She’d kiss me and cheerfully tell the kids, “Say goodbye to Daddy! We’ll see him in a little while.”
In a spiritually mismatched marriage, all eyes are on you to see how a Christian behaves. Your example will be the clearest evidence that following Jesus is the best way to approach life.
Keep expectations realistic. When I was still a spiritual skeptic, Leslie imagined what I would be like as a Christian. She pictured me transformed into the perfect husband — one who’d diaper the kids, wash the dishes and pamper her with romantic dinners. My outbursts would disappear. I would be patient and wise beyond my years.
Well, I did become a Christian and . . . let’s just say I’ve never quite lived up to Leslie’s expectations. God has rounded some of my rough edges, changing my values, priorities and worldview over the years, but I’m still me!
“I’d caution any Christian in a mismatched marriage to be realistic about her spouse,” Leslie says. “Not every annoying thing he does is a direct result of him not being a Christian. If you think he’s going to be perfect when he becomes a believer, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Besides, if you blame his lack of faith for all of his shortcomings, you’re giving him a convenient excuse for not continuing to grow as a husband and father.”
Ask yourself the most convicting question of all. When I get a new calendar at the start of every year, the first thing I do is find the first day of every month. Then I write down the sobering question I want to make sure I ponder at least once every 30 days: “How would I like to be married to me?” I’ve been doing this since 1995, when I first read that provocative question in a book written by Les and Leslie Parrot.
The reason that question is so convicting is that it’s rooted in how Jesus taught us to behave: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).
How would you like to be married to you? Let that be the grid through which you evaluate how you’ll react to the often-disorienting dynamics of a relationship with an unbelieving spouse. Ask yourself that question so often, and wrestle with its implications so honestly, that it begins to reshape your attitude, decisions and reactions. This will help you will make the most of your spiritual mismatch.
Has the habit of giving or sending “thank you” cards disappeared? Are people more entitled today than in previous generations? The conversation depends on how you’ve experienced the evidence of gratitude around you. Is your family thankful? How do you know how to raise grateful children in a Christian home, and why does this matter?
What are the benefits of gratitude?
Over that past couple of decades, research indicates that establishing a habit gratitude experience measurable improvements in spiritual growth, emotional balance, menta health, relational and social connectedness.
These five core areas are markers of mental well-being, so practicing having a lens of gratitude in your mind and speaking the grateful thoughts and feelings out loud provides your mind and body with health boosts! In fact, applying this habit leads to a having a more positive mood or outlook, greater well-being, less effects from stress, and increased production of your “feel good” neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin.
Your mind is the interpreter of what you’re experiencing. It helps you develop a lens through which you see challenges, adversity, people, circumstances, opportunities, failures, mistakes, work, and life in general.
What difference can the lens of a thankful heart make?
I’ll never forget a young man that came to my counseling office. He was angry he could not stay at his parents’ house because he wanted to keep smoking pot. He treated pot smoking as a right and felt justified in his anger.
A few years later, this young man was in a head on collision with a drunk driver. His two legs were shattered but he was lucky to be alive. His perception changed to a lens of gratitude. His parents took care of him. He went through many surgeries and was well-cared for by the surgeons. His goals shifted to wanting to someday walk again and to be able to work and enjoy life. This circumstance changed his lens from escaping life to engaging in the life he’s been given.
This lens helps infuse a unique outlook that helps shape and reshape beliefs and frame and reframe perceptions, which help guide your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in response to circumstances.
What are the biblical foundations for teaching gratitude?
For Christians, practicing gratitude is essential. Throughout the Bible, we are provided with examples of its superpower. Here are a few:
Philippians 4:4-9 – Thanksgiving is essential to a transformed mind.
Colossians 2:6 – Abounding in thanksgiving establishes a deeply rooted faith.
Psalms is a book filled with thanksgiving and praise.
How can parents model gratitude?
As mom or dad, you can establish a culture of a grateful mind and a thankful tongue. Practicing both will not only improve your well-being, but will also improve your child’s and your family’s well-being, and your relationships. What a gift! Research out of the University of North Carolina showed that children tend to mirror their parents’ displays of gratitude over time.
I’ve included six ideas to provide a new, fun, and engaging way to practice having a grateful mind and a thankful tongue in your home.
Let your spouse know what you’re thankful for in them.Researchers have found that you can increase your spouse’s well-being by valuing what they do. Write your spouse a thank-you card. Imagine if you did this weekly? You can bring them flowers, make them their favorite meal, or just look them in the eyes and say, “Thank you for ________. I love you!”
Let your children know what you’re thankful for in them. Children love hearing what their parents love about them. Make sure you have their attention and let them know what they did or what you love about them to let them know you are thankful. Take your child on a one-on-one ice cream run, dinner, lunch, walk and let them know what you’re thankful for in their unique design.
Write notes with a chalk marker on the bathroom mirrors. Write a few different things you’re thankful for and have your kids add to it. You can start with your mirror. You can also write notes to your kids letting them know what you’re thankful for in them.
Compare and contrast. Look at news events and other circumstances. Pray for the people currently struggling and suffering. Talk about how what others are struggling through makes you thankful for what you currently have. This helps you and your family not take what you have for granted. It also helps clarify that the work of Christ is bigger than our suffering.
Have gratitude conversations. Practice talking about who or what you’re super thankful for and why? Talk about the blessing or the gift that is frosting on top of the received gift. For example, if you receive a gift card from someone, your brain can process not only the gift received but also the love you are being shown from the person through the gift. In relationships, there are gifts behind the gifts waiting to be noticed by your brain. This can also lead to conversations of how adversity can be a gift. This is a way to help your children learn to reframe adversity as a gift.
Make a goal to write 200 or more different things you’re thankful for as a family. Once you get to 200 different things, celebrate together by going to a movie, a weekend away, dinner out, or the making the family’s favorite meal and dessert and playing games together. Be on the lookout for our social media challenge with prizes to the families with the most creative poster board or wall and the fastest to 200+ different things they are thankful for (no repeats). Counting your blessings increases well-being.
See if your family knows more about what you love than what you hate or don’t like. We tend to have a negativity bias, which means we tend to pay more attention to what is wrong than what is right. Have a competition as a family to see who is best at noticing what they love over what they don’t like. Have fun coupons for the winners (i.e., pick the next movie, get a $.50 coin, pick the next restaurant you go to as a family, one-on-one time)
Send a note to someone from your “rolling credits”. These are people who have invested of their precious time in your life, have been encouraging in one way or another, or have had a significant influence in your life. Make a list together as a family of who has been one of these three categories in your life. These are your life contributors. Talk about the sacrifices these people may have made in order to show their love to you and others. This list can include coaches, teachers, aunts, uncles, pastors, friends, grandparents, and many others. Write a note to at least one person from your rolling credits or call them. Commit to praying for them (Ephesians 1:15-23).
Be generous.Practicing generosity as a family helps your children experience God’s heart. Giving allows them to see beyond themselves and to experience happiness. Neuroscientists have discovered that generosity fosters personal happiness and begins expressing itself throughout the toddler years. Generosity helps young kids learn to love others. Hebrews 13:16 says, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifice is pleasing to God.” Generosity mirrors God’s loving heart.
Read Gratitude Psalms together. Many Psalms model how to express gratitude to God — the source of our blessings. Reading these passages and talking about them as a family can help teach volumes. Note the distinct differences between the following Psalms:
Teach your child how to savor expressions of gratitude they receive from others. fMRI studies and other research show the most profound effects on mental health and physical well-being result from the regular practice of savoring when someone expresses thankful to us. This heightens joy, reduces anxiety, and reduces inflammation markers in our bodies.
Teach your child how to savor expressions of gratitude they receive from others. fMRI studies and other research show the most profound effects on mental health and physical well-being result from the regular practice of savoring when someone expresses thankful to us. This heightens joy, reduces anxiety, and reduces inflammation markers in our bodies. When your child receives thanks for something they’ve done or given for another, encourage them to pause and take a moment to think about the gratitude they’ve received. Help them identify how it makes them feel emotionally and physically. Coach them on how to savor the experience and even write it down in a journal so they can reflect back on the moment. As a parent, it’s an easy thing to model, too. Take advantage of the benefits!
Since grateful people are healthier people, I wonder why it’s so difficult for us to practice it. We are naturally selfish, distracted, and busy people. I encourage you to explore ways of becoming more selfless, focused, and balanced in your life as you pursue the habit of gratitude. What if you became a family that practices gratitude not only in November but throughout the entire year? This may require some resets but imagine how different would your home look after a year if you are intentional in the habit of gratitude.
There are three benefits your kids will receive when you consistently practice gratitude in your home
First, they gain a positive attitude and perspective.
Genuine gratitude teaches kids to be respectful and humble. They are less entitled and more able to recognize the truth that their lives are filled with gifts, blessings and privileges. I’ll never forget the gratitude lesson my dad taught me in high school. I had delivered newspapers since I was 8 years old. My dad would help me, my brother, and my cousins living at our house roll the newspapers and, initially, helped drive us around in the mornings and evenings as we delivered the newspapers. He would emphasize the discipline of saying “thank you”.
One day, I woke up late and wondered if my dad had just gone ahead and rolled the newspapers. He was still in bed sleeping! I went to his side of the bed and said, “Dad, I slept in and the newspapers aren’t rolled!” I’m sure he could hear the panic in my voice. He said, “Danny, you didn’t say ‘thank you’ the last few days. You’ll have to do it on your own.” He rolled over and did his best to go back to sleep. I’m sure it was just as hard for him as it was for me, but it was a great lesson! I did not forget to say “thank you” from then on, and it made me realize just how important his help was to me on those rushed mornings! My attitude shifted toward a more thankful one.
Second, they grow a sense of peacefulness and social connection.
This attitude shift creates a higher likelihood of kindness and empathy toward others. Your child learns to pay attention to what they have rather than what they don’t have. James Oppenheim famously said, “A foolish man seeks happiness in the distance. The wise grows it under his feet.” James 4:1-2 states that our passions are at war within us, which creates quarrels and fights.
There is a more positive interaction between parent-child when a parent models and practices gratitude. Kids learn to be happy with what they have rather than being thirsty for the next thing or moment. Peacefulness is a full-time constant. Of course, kids are still kids. But an environment of gratitude is able to bring them back to peace and closer to God. They start to see how trust in God provides a peaceful mind (Isaiah 26:3-4).
A grateful child learns to appreciate their friends, which is more likely to connect satisfying bonds with their peers. They are more likely to listen to others and not have friendships out of an anxiety of being alone, but of appreciation for their friendship.
Third, they learn mental flexibility at each stage of development.
Gratitude gives kids room to see the good in the bad. It provides enough flexibility for children to allow for the possibility of something good coming out of something bad. It enables kids to see difficult circumstances as opportunities to grow rather than as horrible problems to be avoided.
In a study from George Mason University, researchers found that gratitude significantly reduced the impact of feelings of hopelessness and depressive symptoms on undergraduate students and served as a protective factor to suicidal thoughts. Competitive children can learn to be grateful when they lose so they can continue improve and grow. I’m sure you’ve seen the competitive child who expects to win. They throw a tantrum, stomp off, scream, break something, or sulk and miss the gift of bouncing back and getting better. Developing a habit of gratitude helps children learn the power of mental reframing and can be taught at every age and stage.
How to create a gratitude habit at every stage
Infant and Toddler
Talk about what you’re thankful for often. With your toddler, try to look for things to be thankful for throughout the day. The more your toddler sees you doing it, the more likely they are to mirror your gratitude and make it a part of their every day habit. Your toddler would love to help you take pictures of things around the house, in the neighborhood, at the store, and at church that you’re thankful for. Then, take some time to reflect on the things and people you’ve taken pictures of and why you’re thankful for them.
School Age
Your school age child will be increasingly exposed to more people, environments, and situations. You can continue the gratitude pictures and searches while adding brief conversations. Help them learn to notice the gift behind the gift. As they receive something from someone, you can help them process that they are loved and/or noticed by that person. Discuss what that feels like inside and how they can do that for others as well. As you watch movies and shows together, pause when there could be something to be thankful for and ask, “What do you think that person feels like right now?” You’re teaching them to learn to notice, think about, and feel what gratitude is like.
You can have an “I’m thankful for…” speed round in the car as you’re going to the store or an activity. This involves each of you saying one thing you’re thankful for in that moment. You can turn it into a competition for your competitive children by seeing who can come up with the most different things you’re thankful for. The winner can get to pick what the family is having for dinner the next day. This is a great age to try the poster board exercise mentioned earlier in this article.
Preteen
This is the age when parents begin to notice their kids not saying “thank you” or brushing past the gift. Be sure to notice when they practice gratitude well. Just point it out and say, “Noticed you were grateful. Super cool!” They want to feel like they are growing up. You don’t have to make a big splash, but they love it when people notice them doing things right.
Continue an intentional modeling of your own gratitude. It may feel like they don’t notice but they do. Your preteen is mirroring and learning from you and others. Provide your preteen with opportunities to serve. Some families go on missions trips, others serve at their church, and some serve their neighbors. There are many ways you can serve as a family. Invest the time to serve and emphasize the value of serving in your home. In fact, you can pleasantly and randomly surprise your preteens with simple but meaningful notes or small gifts when you notice them showing their gratitude through a heart of service.
Teen
This is the age some parents say they notice gratitude go out the window. There is a tendency for teens to become more self-centered as they adjust to their brain changes. These brain changes include a thirst to belong, have worth, have competence, and experience autonomy. They attention is much more sensitive to other people’s perceptions, opinions, affirmations, and acceptance.
The challenge is that when anxiety goes up, self-protection and self-focus go up. Statistics show that anxiety continues to rise among teens. Their use of devices continues to increase, which provides a temporary escape from their anxiety but gives them a false sense of belonging. However, the devices tend to also make them even more self-focused and distracted. Gratitude requires attention, intentionality, and pausing to notice.
Teens are still watching how you manage life. Continue to model gratitude. Mealtimes together are crucial as you dive into conversations that can highlight gratitude. Position a highlighter marker at the center of the table. Talk about what you would choose to highlight from the day and why. Go around the table and listen to each other’s highlighted memory or learning.
As you listen to your teen and validate their experiences and emotions, be patient as they learn to move past the perceived threats in their mind. You can model and teach ways to reflect on the love behind the gifts; the gifts behind adversities and moments of failure; gifts and talents each person is given and how they can be used to love others; and the variety of ways that circumstances can be processed.
Talk about the various creative ways you can express to other people that you’re thankful for them or something they’ve done for or given to you. See if the teens in your home can come up with some fun and creative ways to say “thank you” to others that moves past just a “thank you” note. We now have so many ways we can say “thank you”. It just takes time, effort, and creativity. Have fun pursuing gratitude in your family from the inside out.
Teaching teens to renew their minds is a lasting life skill.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect,” (Romans 12:1-2).
The most important skill you can teach your teen is the renewing of his mind. The mistake many parents make is to try to renew their teen’s mind for him. Renewing the mind is a day-to-day process of thinking biblically.
It’s important to choose God’s reality as the Bible defines it rather than alternate and counterfeit versions of reality. The car commercial that promises significance through horsepower and luxury is presenting a “truth claim” that is counter to the truth claims of the Bible.
The world is full of counterfeit truth claims, but you can teach your teen to live according to God’s reality. When the mind is renewed, God’s will and reality become clearer. You may be thinking, But how do I teach my teen the skill of renewing the mind?
To get started, you should first prepare your teen.
Preparation
Begin by making sure your teen has the right set of expectations. Some people approach God’s Word with the wrong set of expectations.
For example, does the Bible promise that if you follow all the commandments, you will have no struggles in life? Of course not. But it’s not uncommon for a person to read the Bible with this kind of faulty expectation.
When your daughter opens the Bible, what should she expect? Teach her to look for who God is and what His world is really all about.
Next, help her understand that reading the Bible is having a conversation with God. As she reads, she can look for things that apply to her own circumstances and place in life.
The next step in helping your teen to renew their mind is to give them a biblical perspective.
Perspective
Put God’s Word into the context of your teen’s everyday life. Many parents make the mistake of assuming their teen’s world is the same as their own world.
Start by looking closely at your teen’s world. Walk in his shoes. Listen to the messages he gets when he walks into the classroom every day where a biblical worldview is challenged.
Consider the effect of video games he plays or TV he watches. Your first challenge is to step back and evaluate the messages your son is getting throughout the day.
Next, help your son gain a biblical perspective on these messages. Ask:
“What did you hear today that would have sounded out of place at our dinner table?”
“What are the promises that you heard on TV tonight? Are they true?”
“What message does that video game convey?”
Speak about God’s truth in contrast to the other messages. You might say: “The Bible says you and I are going to live forever, and we have a unique opportunity every day to do things that will last into eternity. What do you think we could do today that would last forever?” Or, “When God looks at you, what does He see?”
In addition to helping your teen gain a biblical perspective, you should also teach them about spending personal time with God.
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Help your teen carve out regular, daily time with God to study the Bible and pray.
When I was a new Christian at the age of 17, a Young Life leader said to me, “If you read your Bible every day, God will tell you all kinds of things that will help you know how to live your life.” Boy, that got my attention.
Encourage (don’t nag) your teen to commit to a specific time every day. Have him pick the time and spot.
In my own parenting, this challenge led my wife and me to talk with our 14-year-old son about canceling all the video game time for the rest of the school year to make room in his life for prayer. Commitment takes sacrifice.
Here are other suggestions:
Start out small (perhaps 10 or 15 minutes to begin). Divide the time into three simple activities:
Pray (ask God to speak through His Word and to give understanding)
Read
Reflect (ask “What did I just hear or learn about who God is and what His world is like?”)
Learn the art of asking great questions. Jesus asked so many good questions. In fact, He often answered a question with a question!
Start by carving out time for you and your teen to talk. Engage your teen with life questions that apply directly to your teen’s circumstances. For example, you might ask, “Have you ever read anything in the Bible that might apply to that?” or “Have you looked at Proverbs to see what God might have to say about that?”
What you can’t do is ask a question that has an obvious answer or that implies you already know what the right answer is, kind of a “warmer, warmer” sort of hunt for the answer. Make the question a legitimate one so your son finds the answer on his own.
Of course, there are no hard and fast rules. Recently my son accompanied me on a business trip where we had a heart-to-heart talk. I was ready with life questions to get us talking. Before I started rattling off the questions, I asked God what He thought I should focus on. His answer surprised me: “Ask him what was his favorite part of the day.”
Quality time with God’s people
Learning from God’s Word is a corporate activity. Your teen should learn from God’s Word with other people, starting with you.
Listen to Dr. Dobson or another radio teacher on a regular basis, discuss Sunday’s sermon at the dinner table on Tuesday or attend a family camp this summer.
Psychologists say your teen’s peer group is important to his development as a person.
Find rich environments where your teen can learn from God’s Word with his peer group. Often that will be a Bible-focused youth group, but it also might be a Bible study you start in your home, or a conference teens attend together. Continually evaluate the quality of the teaching and converse with your teen about what he is learning.
Finally, in helping your teen to begin renewing their mind, emphasize the importance of the quest for truth.
Quest for truth
Discovering what it means to live out our faith is a lifelong journey as we integrate what we believe with every area of life.
God will be with us, which is the most important part of the quest.
Teach your teen that God desires to reveal His truth to us. God is personal. He talks to us all the time: through creation, through others, and most clearly through His Word.
We can trust God’s Word, expecting that He will do what He promises: speak to us, lead us, provide for us, give us everything we need for life and godliness in Christ Jesus.
Share your own quest with your teen so he knows the power of your story. Learning to think like a Christian requires renewing the mind. Teaching your teen how to do this and live according to God’s will — and why that’s important — might be the best gift you can give.
“I came here feeling hopeless, broken-hearted, with no emotion,” said Scott, a participant in a Focus on the Family Hope Restored marriage intensive retreat. “I felt this was our last chance to heal our marriage. The presence of God in the room was truly felt. It was amazing to feel the love of God come back into our lives and those around us. I’m looking forward to returning home a changed man, loving and caring for myself and my wife. I am departing with my most heartfelt emotion — I love my wife.”
This is just one true story of a restored marriage — you’ll find many more at Hope Restored. Why? Because God is a God who restores. The Bible is filled with stories of restoration. It’s also the story of restoration, of God bringing His children back into relationship with himself (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
God says, “I will restore them because of My compassion” (Zechariah 10:6) and “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25).
If your marriage is in trouble, you can cry out to God with prayers for marriage restoration. As you pray for God to restore your marriage, you’re praying for Him to fulfill the full meaning of the words restoration and restore. You’re asking Him to give life to your marriage, to rebuild, heal, cure, renew, transform, mend, and perfect it.
Prayers for marriage restoration
The following prayers relate to several traits of successful marriages.
One of the 10 traits is understanding that marriage is a lifelong commitment, created by God and meant to be permanent. Data collected in a Focus on the Family marriage study showed that couples who prioritized lifelong commitment outperformed couples in other areas of marriage health as well.
According to Scott Stanley, the co-director of the Center for Marital & Family Studies at the University of Denver, deciding to stay committed is foundational to your relationship. From that foundation, you can go on to restore communication, connection, and intimacy.
Prayer 1: Restore our lifelong commitment
“Lord Jesus, we feel like giving up. We know you honor marriage, but we are both hurting and frustrated, and we just don’t know the answers to our problems. God, even though we don’t know what to do, remind us to keep our eyes on You (2 Chronicles 20:11-13).
“Renew our commitment to each other and to You. Help us abandon the ‘divorce’ word and take the next step toward healing in our marriage, even if we’ve taken many steps that have led nowhere.
“Oh Lord, we desperately need You to restore our broken relationship. Reveal to us what needs healing in our relationship, what needs healing in each of our hearts. Help us remember our wedding vows, because you’ve joined us together and do not want us to separate (Matthew 19:6).
“We ask You to protect us from Satan’s attacks on our commitment and marriage. Keep our focus on You and not the world that tells us to take the ‘easy way’ out. We know that nothing’s impossible with You (Luke 1:37). As we seek Your face, show us the way forward. Increase our faith in You and Your power to restore.”
“Our home felt like World War Three. We came broken, nervous, skeptical, but this past week has truly been an amazing journey. Our marriage has transformed in the past four days. The closeness we feel with each other now, we have never felt before.”
Prayer 2: Restore our communication and connection
“God, we’ve said hurtful things and have injured each other. It seems so easy to argue and find fault, and now we’ve grown distant from each other. We can’t seem to agree, and we’ve spent a lot of time treating each other as the enemy.
“Don’t let us fall into Satan’s trap. Satan doesn’t want us to communicate at a deep level. He doesn’t want us to understand each other and be emotionally open with each other.
“God, please show us how to love each other — to forgive, to give grace, to be humble. We know it’s the right way, but it’s so hard to do. Remind us that our goal is to understand each other, not be the one who is ‘right.’ Slow down our speech and our tempers, so we can really hear each other (James 1:19). Help us see that we are both broken and need Your healing touch.
“Oh God, we need You to guide us step by step when we talk, so we treat each other with gentleness and patience (Ephesians 4:2-3). Point out our pride and selfishness where necessary. Please reveal any logs we need to take out of our own eyes so we can be unified (Matthew 7:5). Direct us to helpful teaching and counsel so we can learn to manage our conflicts well. We believe You can do all things, so we offer our prayers for marriage restoration.
“God, thank you that You are a God of communication and connection. Open our ears so we hear You! Speak Lord, for your servants are listening (1 Samuel 3:10).”
“We attended the intensive in Branson. It was life changing. I was convinced that nothing could change what was going on in our marriage … We are on a much different course now, and I believe we received a miracle …”
“Dear God, You want husbands and wives to be close in every way — physically, emotionally, sexually. But we feel so far apart from each other, like we’re strangers. We want to trust each other and feel safe with each other, but we don’t.
“Please give us the wisdom and courage to deal with any obstacles to our intimacy so we can truly be one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Reveal those obstacles, whether they’re sin or temptation, issues with past relationships or trauma, anger or unforgiveness, lies of the Enemy, or wrong expectations of each other.
“Lord, we need to take the walls down between us. Replace our fear of being real with each other with courage to share how we really are, what our true fears and dreams are.
“You know both of us intimately, all of our faults and weaknesses, and yet You accepted us as we were and loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). You don’t reject us, so show us how to be like You — to accept each other and not reject each other. Help us be patient, knowing that rebuilding trust and growing in intimacy takes time.”
“When we arrived at the Focus on the Family Retreat Center, we had been separated for two and a half months. We had been to four different marriage counselors on and off for 15 years. My husband had told me that he had little hope and that if God didn’t do something big it would be time for ‘formal separation.’ I am thrilled to say that we both have hope and now have some great tools to start operating in a ‘safe place’ with each other.”
“Father, Your Word reminds us that You are the God of hope (Romans 15:13)! Fill us with Your hope as we lift these prayers for marriage restoration to You. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the Almighty God, the God who is Faithful and True. Nothing is too hard for You (Genesis 18:14). Lord, we ask You to renew our hope for our marriage as we read aloud the words of Lamentations 3:21-24.”
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
Please note that if you are in an abusive marriage relationship, you need immediate help from professionals. Focus on the Family is dedicated to bringing healing and restoration to couples who are struggling in their marriage. But God’s design for marriage never included abuse, violence or coercive control. Emotional abuse can also bruise or severely harm a person’s heart, mind and soul. If you are in an abusive relationship, go to a safe place and call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit them online at thehotline.org.
One day in the spring, as I drove my car, I told my 4-year-old son, “The grass was dead all winter, but now it’s coming back to life. Do you know someone who was dead but came back to life?”
His answer, of course, was Jesus. We then had an interesting conversation about the resurrection and power of God — all because of green grass.
I wish this type of conversation would happen more often with my children. I tried starting a similar conversation with an older son, but had less success. One reason is that my kids have different spiritual temperaments, just as they have different bodies, personalities, interests and emotional dispositions. Their spiritual temperaments often affect how they learn about God.
Kids can connect with God based on temperament
Pastor and author Gary Thomas refers to these temperaments as “sacred pathways.” Thomas notes that Christians all have different and acceptable ways of demonstrating their love for God. “Our temperaments will cause us to be more comfortable in some of these expressions than others — and that is perfectly acceptable to God,” Thomas writes in his book Sacred Pathways. “In fact, by worshiping God according to the way He made us, we are affirming His work as Creator.”
Some people find it easier to connect with God through their surroundings or routines, while others may prefer service or using their intellect. A child’s dominant spiritual pathway provides more potential points of connection with God. Although your child may have a combination of these seven temperaments, you’ll find that one or two of them may stand out a bit more than the others.
The traditionalist
Most children begin life with a need for routine. Traditionalists not only thrive in this environment, but as they grow, they continue needing structure in their faith. Consistent worship times, structured prayers and reliable and meaningful celebrations benefit these young children.
As traditionalists grow older, they may lean more toward another temperament, while still relying on the basic faith structure they’ve grown up with. Others will become more defined in their traditionalist temperament. They may create their own daily rituals or homework routines; these children thrive on consistency.
To incorporate faith-routines into their lives, create special celebrations for Advent, Lent and Pentecost — celebrations that may feel restrictive to non-traditionalists, but will bring life to someone of this temperament. These children also thrive when they pray at certain times of day or when their prayer times are based on external cues, such as a school bell.
Bible characters to check out:
Abraham (built a lot of altars)
Esther (built up her courage to break a rule to save the Jews)
Some children may be wired to connect with God through nature. Just like some adults feel closest to God when on the top of a mountain or while fishing, many children feel closest to God while enjoying His creation. They may understand spiritual metaphors better when they are related to the natural world. God uses nature — weeds, gardens, pets, clouds and people — to draw these children closer to Him.
In the case of the naturalist child, a parent will need to help him approach creation mindfully and with an ear bent toward the Creator. If your children are young, you can and should take the lead in pointing out how God’s creation draws us toward Him, similar to the conversation I had with my son. Eventually it will be a natural way for your child to connect with God. Otherwise, they may have a tendency to give nature credit for itself. Talking about nature as a creation of God is key to drawing the naturalist’s eyes to the Creator.
Bible character to check out:
Elijah (a prophet who moved around a lot)
Deborah (judged Israel under a date palm tree rather than from a tent)
Children, by nature, are incredibly responsive to sensory input. Some, however, are truly moved by it. In a similar way to the naturalist being moved to worship by natural surroundings, the sensate is moved to worship through the tickling of the senses: art, music, delicious food, intoxicating smells, new textures and dance. This may seem foreign in our culture of bare-walled churches, but heaven itself is often described as a beautiful, exuberant multitude of voices praising in every language (Revelation 15:4; 19:6-7).
To help sensory children connect in a meaningful way with God, proactively point out the aesthetic and tactile beauty of things that God made to arrive at teachable moments. You can ask her, “How does that smell/taste/music make you feel?” or “What does that reflect about faith/God?” If you don’t help them understand that God gave the world its aesthetic beauty through the arts, the culture may convince sensory children that beauty for the sake of beauty is important. Therefore, your short, teachable moments are key for the sensate.
I have a son who follows me around when we’re at home. He loves swishing toilets, making beds and baking, and is constantly looking for little ways to help. In fact, when he is told he can’t help with a certain task, he becomes upset. I have a suspicion that he will find it easier to develop a relationship with God while serving others. Not every child will enjoy serving food to the homeless. To a child like mine, it may feel like pure joy.
The temptation of a caregiver is the same struggle felt by Martha: She was so busy serving Jesus that she forgot to use that service as a way to get to know her Savior. It is fairly simple to expose a child to Christian service. It is another thing altogether to show him how to let his service draw him closer to Christ. When you talk about the child’s acts of service, have him consider which were done with a pure motive to bless others in Jesus’ name and which were done out of pride or feelings of righteousness. Finding the right motivation is key for this child.
Kids can connect with God through Bible characters to check out:
Lydia (a seller of purple cloth who showed hospitality to Paul)
Stephen (supervised the care of widows and orphans in the early church)
Have you ever met a child who became incredibly upset over injustice? We’ve probably all seen news stories of children who latch onto a particular cause, dedicating their young lives to it. We may be tempted to shield our children from the evil in the world, to keep them in their safe bubble of family and school, but if we choose to ignore the world beyond us, an activist child will become completely overwhelmed by it when she discovers what is happening.
As a parent, your job is to allow your child to witness the ills of the world, in manageable and age-appropriate chunks, to help her develop God’s passion for the downtrodden. Most activists won’t need to be told to stand up for a cause. You will more likely need to hold her back to help her find balance, once she’s recognized God’s heartbeat. However, the temptation of any activist is to become proud in her stand against evil, forgetting her relationship with God. The role of the parent will be to help her seek God’s will, wisdom and humility in her work, using her activism to draw closer to God’s love and truth.
Bible characters to check out:
John the Baptist (prepared the way for Jesus)
Shiphrah (one of the midwives who saved Israelite babies from Egyptians)
When I was a teenager, one of the first things I bought from the Christian bookstore was a concordance. My friend thought I was strange, but I had a deep need to understand God’s Word better. Some children share my deep curiosity and find it easy to dive deep into topics that interest them. The topics may not appear to be “intellectual” as an adult sees them, though. In fact, it may look more like an obsession with dinosaurs or bacteria, but children who love to learn often connect with God in the same way.
As a parent, your job is to feed your child’s intellectual fire with challenging material. It may be books that make him think deeper about faith, Bible studies that you do together or even buying him a concordance for his birthday. Many intellectuals also make excellent teachers because they love to share what they have learned.
The temptation here is to become arrogant in knowledge and prideful in the treatment of others, exchanging the Tree of Life for the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil as Adam and Eve did. Parents can help children balance their growing body of knowledge by encouraging them to live out what they’ve learned in their relationship with God and toward others. If the intellectual pathway rings true for your child, consider partnering with him to a teach a Sunday school class for younger children or allow him to teach younger siblings.
Bible characters to check out:
Ethiopian eunuch (accepted Jesus after Philip ran alongside his chariot)
Priscilla (who opened her home to Paul and learned about Jesus from him)
Kids can connect with God through Bible passages to read together: Acts 8:27-38
The enthusiast
As a child in the tabernacle, Samuel clearly heard the voice of God. He spent his life following direct orders from God and prophesying to the Israelites. His life was filled with the mystery of nighttime voices, direct revelation from God and even calling down thunderstorms in the name of God. To many, this sounds terrifying and impossible, but to our children with the enthusiast temperament, this type of relationship with God sounds incredible.
You may have a child who is enthusiastic about discerning God’s voice and seeking His will. Parents with an enthusiast child will need to learn how to welcome their child’s connection with God and help develop her discernment skills through biblical knowledge and understanding. Reinforce the truth that God will never contradict His Word. If your child believes she’s sensing the prompting of the Holy Spirit, help her to search through the Bible to find a scriptural foundation that affirms God’s perspective.
Kids can connect with God through Bible characters:
Most Christian parents assume that our way of connecting with God is the way our children will or should connect with Him. But there is no one size fits all approach to faith.
“God wants to know the real you, not a caricature of what somebody else wants you to be,” Gary Thomas notes. “He created you with a certain personality and a certain spiritual temperament. God wants your worship, according to the way He made you.”
An intellectual parent will tend toward deep Bible study with her children, while a caregiver will focus on finding family service projects and a naturalist will spend a lot of time out in nature with his children. If I am an extremely extroverted enthusiast, it might look odd to me if my introverted child would rather sit in quietness and contemplate God’s love or ponder a section of Scripture. I may feel that my child lacks faith, but the truth may be that my child connects with God in a different way than I do.
God, who delights in our differences, desires to draw each of us to Him. I can, and should, look for teachable moments, but these may look different for each child. As parents we should also consider helping our children find mentors who connect with God in the same way that they do, particularly if their spiritual temperament is the complete opposite of ours.
So what is our role as parents in our children’s personal connection to God? Our role is to open our eyes to the unique way God is communicating with our children. Then we can respond by finding ways to partner with Him to encourage their relationship with Jesus.
The following article is adapted from Israel’s Mission: Becoming a kingdom of priests in a prodigal world, a guidebook for the associated That the World May Know video series.
The story of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 1–4) is one of the most moving accounts in the Bible. The events occurred during the period of the judges, about a century before David became king of Israel. Set in the midst of great hardship and tragic loss, the story focuses on loyalty and faithfulness that starkly contrasts the pagan Moabite culture from which Ruth originated. The story is also a clear example of God’s faithfulness in bringing about His plan of redemption using unexpected partners, in amazing ways and during a time of frequent unfaithfulness of God’s people.
The book of Ruth begins with an Israelite family — Elimelech, Naomi (his wife) and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion — living in Moab. Originally from Bethlehem of Judah, the family left the land of its inheritance because of a famine. But tragedy soon struck. Elimelek died. Both of Naomi’s sons married Moabite women, and within 10 years, the sons died also, leaving Naomi and her daughters-in-law outside the kin group of her husband.
It is hard for us as modern readers to comprehend the hopeless situation in which the three women found themselves. They lacked the intimacy of a family, which is a tragic situation in any time and place, but were outside the patriarchal clan — cut off from its protection and provision. Their losses were devastating in every way. They were a non-family with no means of providing for themselves. Options for such marginalized women were few and unpleasant. Completely dependent on the generosity of others, they faced starvation or worse.
Naomi and Ruth returned to Israel after God again provided food for His people there. Naomi was a survivor, but she was returning with nothing. Ruth left the gods of Moab behind and chose to put her fate in the hands of Naomi’s God and His people without any idea of how things would work out. For her, there was no turning back.
Naomi was deeply discouraged. She was certain that “the hand of the Lord” (Ruth 1:13) had turned against her. She believed that God himself had made her life bitter (Ruth 1:20). How could they have known that just the opposite was actually true? In the midst of their loss, God was orchestrating an amazing plan that generations later would affect all of humanity through the coming of God’s chosen Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
A true love story
People often describe the book of Ruth as a love story, and certainly it contains elements of two people growing in love in the unique way of their ancient Near Eastern culture. But as this love story unfolds, we realize that it is about more than the love shared between two people. Ultimately it is about God’s amazing love for all humankind, specifically His desire for His people to not only experience His love for themselves, but to reach out and display it in such a way that God is made known to His lost, hungry and hurting children.
Ruth’s request to “spread the corner of your garment over me” (Ruth 3:9) had several meanings, each of which highlighted her desire to be a faithful part of the community of God’s people. The word for “corner” in Hebrew also means “wings,” so Ruth was asking Boaz: “Protect me like a bird protects her young; be my redeemer as God commanded in the Torah so that in your actions, your provision and your family, I will find God’s protection. And take me as your wife, for in your protection I will find God’s provision and protection.”
This story portrays the love and faithfulness Boaz demonstrated for God who, out of His love for all humankind, commands His people to care for the poor and thereby make His name known. We also see Boaz display what is in Hebrew called hesed (a merciful, compassionate, grace-filled loving-kindness) toward a foreign Moabite widow. We see Ruth’s growing love and commitment to Naomi and to the God of Israel, whose amazing love was drawing Ruth into His beth ab, “the father’s house.”
A plan of redemption for everyone
Boaz and Ruth are a beautiful example of the way that redemption worked in a patriarchal culture. God included the practice of redemption, common in ancient Near Eastern culture, in His instructions to the Israelites. In so doing, He explained His role as “Father” (or patriarch) of all and His desire to redeem family members and the entire creation, restoring them fully in relationship to Him and to each other. Thus the righteous and faithful character of Boaz is a picture of God himself in His work of redemption.
After God used Israel to bring Ruth fully into His community, she joined in the mission to redeem others. She became the great-grandmother of Israel’s heroic king David, demonstrating that a foreigner could be completely assimilated into God’s people and become His instrument for redemptive purpose. Jesus’ descent from David’s family in both blood through His mother, Mary, and legal kinship through His father, Joseph, gave Him legitimacy as Messiah to Israel among His first Jewish followers. Jesus’ descent from Ruth made it clear that the Messiah would redeem all humanity, not only the Jews.
For Christians, the book of Ruth represents an early sign that the Messiah would liberate all of humankind, not solely Jews, and that Gentiles would join God’s community of redeemed people in the mission of restoring God’s lost children back into full relationship with Him.
For the first several years of my marriage, I found myself being the Grinch (only with a less green hue). As the mom and stepmom of four teens, I was in charge of making all the Christmas magic happen — and my bag of tricks was quickly running empty.
So I began to wonder: Why was I in charge of Christmas dinner … and Christmas shopping … and Christmas travel … and Christmas decorating … and really, Christmas everything?
It was about five years into my marriage when I had finally had enough.
“Why is everything Christmas up to me?” I asked. “I really wish you would help!” (OK, that may have sounded less conversational and more whiny than I’d expected.)
“You do?” My husband, Roger, asked as he stood there looking genuinely puzzled.
“Yes!” I said incredulously. Didn’t he see how stressed I was every single year?
“But you’ve never said that you wanted help! In fact, you plan everything on your own. I would love to help,” Roger explained. “I miss decorating the tree, but I figured you liked it a certain way, so I let you do it that way.”
“Oh,” was all I could give as a response.
So, for years I had been martyring myself for no good reason. I had been feeling so alone in making Christmas preparations, and apparently the rest of the family thought that was the way I preferred it.
It took me years to figure out there was a better way to get through the holiday season. By being a little more purposeful in our planning, not only were Roger and I on the same side of the holiday battle, but we actually started appreciating each other’s gifts, talents and even our differing temperaments.
Now my husband and I not only discuss who is going to do what on the to-do list, but we also talk about what is important to each of us during the Christmas season. This has made all the difference in how we come out on the other side of the holidays — we choose to be blessed or we choose to be stressed. We choose whether we simply survive the holidays or if we enjoy each other and the rest of our family. When we spend just a little time planning together, each of us has the opportunity to enjoy what is important to us during the season. And that adds to our joy and peace throughout the coming weeks.
Plan
Get on the same page. Around Thanksgiving each year, Roger and I make a point to connect with each other and talk about what theme is important to us for the coming Christmas season. There have been years when peace was the word at the top of our theme list. During those years we decided to keep things simple, all the way down to ordering pizza from the takeout place around the corner as our Christmas Eve feast.
Maybe this year your focus needs to be about connecting with family. Or maybe, if your family has gone through some rough times, this year needs to be about restoring joy in your home. The most important part of choosing your theme is committing to agree on it together. If your wife is in desperate need of peace, perhaps this is not the year to take on all the neighbors in the Christmas Lights Annual Explosion Competition.
Here are some words to think about while you decide, as a couple, what is important to you this Christmas season:
Peace
Joy
Fun
Family
Together
Worship
Rest
Recovery
Giving
Charity
Hospitality
Home
Put some other things on hold. Part of the reason December can become so stressful is because we add an important holiday to our already busy everyday lives. Christmas time is a celebration worthy of our time and energy, so we need to ask ourselves if it is possible to pull back from some of our daily activities to create margin.
If you meet with the same group of guys to go running every week, can you take a couple of weeks off to make some room on your calendar? What about skipping book club one month to spend more time at home?
Disagree early. Where will you celebrate Christmas this year — at home, at your parents’ house, with the in-laws? If this discussion has the potential to be tense, have the conversation in November and not December when emotions (and expectations) are running high.
Prepare
Declutter now. Now is the time to deal with clutter in your home — long before you pull out all the Christmas decorations. Decorating on top of clutter is the perfect recipe for chaos. Take a couple of days to make sure your home is as tidy as possible. It will make decorating, and all your other holiday activities, much easier and much more fun for everyone.
Get a jump on the little things. There are plenty of small tasks you can do early to minimize the pressure as Christmas approaches. Here are a few simple things you can do now that you will thank yourself (and your spouse) for later:
Make your Christmas card list.
Order stamps from USPS.com.
Gather your family’s favorite holiday recipes.
Order gifts online.
Ship gifts to out-of-town friends and family.
Gather supplies. Don’t wait until the last minute to dig for that lost pair of scissors or scrounge for last year’s leftover boxes. Create a list together and then collect all your supplies into one convenient location. Don’t forget the following:
Scotch tape and mailing tape
tissue paper
boxes
bows
tags
wrapping paper
scissors
gift bags
Play
As a couple, you get to decide how much time is spent with family, and how much time is spent as a couple. Roger and I have made it a point to plan not just family activities, but also a few couple’s activities. To the rest of the world, doing things like shopping for presents, wrapping gifts and preparing for holiday parties may look like an endless list of chores. But we prefer to think of these activities as dating with a purpose.
Here are some ideas to keep you organized and keep you close:
Set a date to put your Christmas tree up and decorate it.
Have a “food and finances” night. Review your Christmas budget, and, because you’ve done a hard thing (talking about money), celebrate by finding an inexpensive restaurant for dinner together.
Look at holiday movies online and decide which ones you’d like to watch during December. Make a list and organize your on-demand choices, load up your Netflix queue or plan your Redbox rentals.
With a little planning and an intentional goal of being organized, you can also stay connected as a couple as you prepare for the holidays together. Consider making it a goal that you and your spouse will find yourselves closer to each other on December 26 than you were at the start of the month.
A pastor in Nigeria is facing death threats for speaking out on Islamic extremist attacks on Christians and calling for protection against “genocide.” The Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, based in Plateau state as regional chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi, told reporters in Jos on Oct. 24 that Islamic extremists […]
Five Christians were killed and 44 others injured on Nov. 4 after an Islamist leader incited Muslims to attack Christians over pork sales near a mosque in Yumbe, northern Uganda. The violence erupted after reports spread that Christian merchants were openly selling pork near Munir Mosque, a move many Muslims described as provocative and disrespectful to their […]
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