When Life Falls Apart, Be Honest With God

We all go through times when our lives seem to be falling apart. We lose our job. A relationship falls apart. Someone dies. Our health takes a turn for the worse.

In those times, we’re tempted to think God has abandoned us. 

But he hasn’t. 

The ancient prophet Jeremiah was in the same boat when he wrote the book of Lamentations. His country, Judah, had endured an economic tailspin and was terrorized by a foreign enemy. He had witnessed incredibly inhumane acts committed against Judah. People were out of work and starving to death. 

Where did Jeremiah start? He told God how he felt: “[God] has made my skin and flesh grow old. He has broken my bones. He has besieged and surrounded me with anguish and distress. He has buried me in a dark place, like those long dead . . . And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers” (Lamentations 3:4-6, 8 NLT).

Does it surprise you that these words are in the Bible? Jeremiah—like some people today—felt God had forgotten him. But Jeremiah didn’t ignore what he was feeling. He didn’t sugarcoat the situation. He told God what was on his heart. In fact, Jeremiah spent five chapters telling God what he thought about the situation. He told God, “This stinks!”

Why would God put that kind of passage in the Bible? He wants you to know that he can handle your anger, your gripes, and your grief. Jeremiah spent an entire book of the Bible blowing off steam. If God is big enough to handle Jeremiah’s pain, he’s big enough to handle yours too.

If you swallow your emotions, you just hurt yourself. Your stomach will keep score! 

Instead, unload your emotions on God.

When my kids were little, they’d throw temper tantrums. Their temper tantrums didn’t make me love them any less. They didn’t make me doubt my decisions. They didn’t make me feel like less of a father.

They reminded me that my kids were immature. They didn’t know what I knew. 

God doesn’t love you any less when you throw a temper tantrum. He doesn’t owe you an explanation. But he is never afraid of what you have to say.

So tell him. It’ll be the beginning of healing.

Should Parents Force Their Children To Go To Church?

Force is such a strong word, isn’t it? When I think of force, in the Biblical sense, I automatically think of Samson, who stood between two pillars and pushed an entire building down!

In the parenting sense, of course, we’d much rather build our kids up than tear them down. That’s why I’d rather refer to forcing our kids to do something, as lovingly requiring them to do things that are best for them.

And that includes going to church.

Think about it this way: We require our kids to go to school so they can learn and expand their knowledge. We require them to brush their teeth so they won’t get cavities. We require them to be respectful in hopes they will grow up to be respectable members of society.

So, why wouldn’t we require them to go to church?

No matter what our kids’ ages or stages, it’s important for them to attend church with the family. Here are 4 reasons why:

1. The Word of God Will Not Return Void in Our Kids’ Lives

If we truly believe the Word of God is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart,” why wouldn’t we give our kids the opportunity to hear it as often as possible? (see Hebrews 4:12)

This is the number one reason why we should require our kids to go to church. If our ultimate hope is that our kids will be born again, yet we allow them to miss opportunities to hear the Gospel, we may actually be preventing them from a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are reminded, in Isaiah 55:11, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

God’s Word will accomplish what He sets it out to accomplish. And exposing our children to the life-giving Word is one of the best things we can do for them. Take your kids to church and let the Word of God speak!

I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. Psalm 138:2

On the flip-side: If you’re worried that your child will only associate the Bible with going to church, let them know that the Word of God stands alone. They can enjoy the Scriptures through personal devotions, podcasts, and Bible apps.

2. It Is Our Hope that Our Kids Will Stay in Church

According to a recent LifeWay research article, as teenagers reach their late teen years, even those with a history of regular church attendance are pulled away as they get increased independence, a driver’s license, or a job.

My question is, why contribute to the “falling away,” by allowing our teens to skip out? Yes, they will eventually have to decide for themselves whether or not they’ll continue to go, but I believe it’s crucial for parents to maintain church-going as a standard, not an option.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

On the flip-side: There’s no guarantee that making your kids attend church will keep them in church. Consider finding other ways to worship, including home Bible studies, Christian concerts, to add to your weekly worship experiences in the local assembly.

3. It Is Good for Our Kids to Fellowship with Other Believers

Even if your child is struggling with unbelief, being around other Christian families can be just the example they need. You never know who will make a difference in their life, or who will plant seeds of faith. It might be a friend, a youth leader, or pastor who says something that “sticks.”

No matter what, it’s healthy for our kids to be around other believers and see the Christian faith being lived out. Just as we need the fellowship of other believers, our kids need it as well. Encourage active participation in services, events, and community outreaches. Meeting together, in the name of Jesus, is an essential part of a healthy church, and healthy kids.

And let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us encourage one another with words of hope. Let us do this even more as you see Christ’s return approaching. Hebrews 10:25

On the flip-side: Keep in mind, the earliest churches were simply groups of fellow Christians meeting together for a meal, fellowship, and teaching of the Word. Your kids might benefit even more from these types of “church” meetings. Maybe you should schedule a once-a-month gathering in your home, and get your kids involved in the planning. This may end up being the best church experience they’ll have!

4. Church Provides Connectedness for Our Kids

When our kids question the importance of going to church, we should say, “Life isn’t lived in isolation. A church provides a bigger family, a group of people to care about and who care for you.”

In essence, church provides a connectedness that other groups cannot. Sport’s teams and after-school clubs are educational and fun, but they don’t provide the deeper heart-connections that the church provides.

Not only do we want our kids to connect with the family of God, we want them to connect with Jesus, Himself! Here are are few inspiring verses about connectedness within the body of Christ:

He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. Acts 10:2

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Romans 12:4-5

The whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped…  makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Ephesians 4:16

Encourage your kids to connect, by requiring them to go to church. Going to church doesn’t save our kids, but it prioritizes worship of the Living God. It provides opportunities to hear the Bible. And, it instills in them a love for the body of believers.

On the flip-side: There are many ways to connect with the body of believers. In fact, I encourage having fun with other Christians, outside of worship and Bible study. Consider going on a group hike, bowling, or out for ice cream. It’s these interactions that may have the biggest impact on your child’s love for the church.

Ultimately, whether or not you lovingly require your kids to attend church, you can build them up in the faith by being a good example, providing Christian fellowship, and sharing the Word of God. I’ve heard it said that worship happens in many ways, not only within the four walls of the church building. We can connect with God everyday, not only on Sundays. And that’s something wonderful we can teach our kids.

What Does Pro-Life Mean?

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, thus allowing the individual states to make their own laws legislating abortion, the spiritual and legal battle to protect the sanctity of life from the moment of conception continues. We hear the negotiating argument of what about six weeks versus fifteen weeks? But how can that even be a question since every person with breath in their lungs today was granted life at conception, including everyone arguing for abortion and against pro-life. We should thank our mothers who chose life for us no matter what the circumstances.

The terms pro-choice versus pro-life are tossed around in the media, courts, and public opinions, but let’s take a closer look at the true pro-life meaning, not just politically, but morally and spiritually.

The opposite of pro-life is not pro-choice; it’s pro-death. That’s what we’re really talking about. Does a mother have the “choice” to kill her unborn child? Most people try to soften this reality, but that’s impossible. If you saw the movie “Unplanned” which chronicles the moral and spiritual awakening of Abby Johnson when she visually watched an abortion at Planned Parenthood, where she was in management, or talked to a nurse or doctor who has left the abortion profession, you’ll see or hear of a baby fighting for its life as the baby is either poisoned, has its neck broken, or is dismembered. The baby feels pain in an abortion and tries to get away from the suction tube, needles, or instruments. It’s heartbreaking. 

That’s the harsh reality disguised by a softer sounding word like abortion, pro-choice, or even more deceptive lies, “healthcare” or “reproductive rights.”

If you’re thinking pro-death or pro-murder are too strong of terms, Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines abortion as “the termination of a pregnancy by the death or removal of an embryo or fetus.” 

Today’s culture considers abstinence until marriage archaic and laughable and scoffs at anyone who dares to suggest it, or chooses to live by God’s principles.  And that brings us to a place where those of us who have lived awhile would never have expected possible in America: infanticide. 

No one talks about STDs or unwanted pregnancies from unprotected sex because Planned Parenthood and abortion clinics makes it easy and accessible to simply kill an unwanted baby. When murder becomes considered morally good, we have definitely regressed to barbarism. 

Abortion has become the accepted crime of unbridled passion and lust. There’s only one entity that could bring us to this despicable time in history: Satan. 

Yet, those who lobby for abortion claim it’s a constitutional liberty or right of personal autonomy. But pro-life advocates point out there is no right to abortion in the Constitution. Instead, it grants the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness to every life, born or unborn, not just the ones someone chooses to let live. The Constitution does not give the right to murder our babies in or out of the womb. They are little people with their own heartbeat, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, brain, organs, toes, arms, legs, and unique fingerprints with sensitivity to pain, and ability to laugh and cry. They deserve a chance at life, as does each of God’s creations. That’s the position of being pro or for allowing a baby to be born and enjoy life.

Before ultrasounds and heartbeat monitoring, women bought into the lie that it’s just a blob of cells that can’t feel pain. But now, we can see the baby developing and hearing the heartbeat at six weeks. We know, without a doubt, that life begins at conception. Yet there are still many lobbying for killing that human being, even after it takes its first breath! 

The Bible confirms that this is wrong. God creates each of us at conception. He is the Creator and Sustainer of life. 

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Gen. 1:27-28 NLT

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. Ps. 139:13-14 NLT

Children are God’s gift to his children, not a burden to be discarded.

“You must not murder.” Ex. 20:13 NLT

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Ps. 127:3 NLT

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Deut. 30:19-20 NLT

Psalm 22:10-11 (NLT) could be the cry of every baby facing death by abortion.

I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born. Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me.

The Devil tries to seduce with deception by calling the baby a “fetus,” which sounds clinical and not like a human being. But mothers don’t say they’re pregnant with a fetus, a brain-dead person, or a blob of cells. Mothers say they’re going to have a baby: a precious, fragile, defenseless human being that, according to some state current laws, she can “choose” to murder or let live.

A scientific discovery is now confirming what Christians have always known that life begins at conception when sperm fertilizes an egg, and at that moment, God determines the baby’s sex. A video reveals what appears to be a fluorescent display of fireworks taking place at the moment of conception. The ‘flash of light’ is created when zinc is released and binds to tiny molecules that “emit a fluorescence,” only viewable by microscopes. This discovery is nothing short of a breathtaking display of our Creator’s hand at work in creating each of us.

Science and technology now confirm that by six weeks, a child has a beating heart, a developing brain, and a spinal cord. At ten weeks, the child has arms, legs, fingers, and toes and can kick. By fifteen weeks, the baby has a nose, lips, eyebrows, and eyelids and can feel pain, yawn, and suck a thumb. 

When the angel Gabriel visited Mary, he told her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35 NLT) She was going to become pregnant with the Savior of the world as a young teenager and a virgin betrothed to marry Joseph. Talk about bad timing! Inconvenient! Embarrassing! Disrupting her marriage plans. 

Today’s pro-choice advocates would argue that Mary had every justification for either saying no I won’t do this for you Lord, or if she conceived anyway, call the local abortionist and murder God’s Son, the future Savior of the world.

There would be no Christmas. No fulfillment of prophecy. No Cross. No opportunity for repentance and forgiveness of our sins. No eternal life! God’s plans for future generations thwarted! 

Praise God, instead, “Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” (Luke 1:38 NLT) 

How many of God’s children who He knit together in their mother’s womb who He had great plans for them to rescue our world in the areas of medicine, health, science, teachers, preachers, fathers, and mothers of future generations have been slaughtered before they could take their first breath or horrifically some even murdered after birth? How many? 

Over 63 million babies have been killed since Roe v Wade legalized unlimited abortions in 1973! Even after abortion is now determined in the states, approximately 2,548 children every day are lost to abortion. Now it’s up to us in each of our states to preserve life. Christians need to be a voice and a vote for saving these future babies. We need to vote for pro-choice legislatures from the White House to the local government.

As a church body and individual Christians, when we know someone is thinking about terminating their pregnancy, we need to boldly and lovingly share the Scriptures that support giving that child a chance at life. Pray with and for the mother and help her find alternatives to aborting her child.

We can also help pregnant women locate pregnancy care centers that are free and offer help during pregnancy and after the baby is born. We must be willing to step out of our comfort zone and reach out with understanding, love, and tangible help.

We should use every opportunity to celebrate life, especially if you have a platform. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker went with his teammates to the White House to be honored for their Super Bowl LVII victory. Butker wore a tie with “Vulnerari Praesidio” in cursive writing repeated the length of the tie, which is a Latin term that translates to “Protect the most vulnerable,” and the press noticed it!

He also wore on his lapel a gold pin of baby’s feet, representing the size of a 10-week-old aborted baby. “I want to give the most vulnerable, the unborn, a voice at a place where every effort has been made to allow and normalize the tragic termination of their lives,” Butker said in a statement. “As a father who has experienced three miscarriages, my wife and I understand the hardships that come with losing a child. Every life is precious and should be valued whether outside or inside the womb.”

Butker’s tie was designed by Live Action, a pro-life Christian organization that we can support. Abby Johnson, who I mentioned earlier, has become a pro-life activist with a foundation, And Then There Were None, ministering to men and women leaving the abortion industry.

God created and has a plan for every child conceived. That’s not just a “religious belief,” but a reality.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jer. 29:11 NLT

There’s no justification for having sex and killing a baby because the sex was convenient, but the baby is inconvenient. Our culture today is playing God by choosing who can live and who should die. That’s not going to end well.

This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus. Rev. 14:12

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. Luke 17:28-30

Worship the Lord with Your Life

Faith is at the heart of worship. In Streams in the Desert, Mrs. Charles E. Cowman records a story that focuses on giving God praise. The story is of a woman who had very little. She made a “precarious living by hard daily labor; but [she] was a joyous, triumphant Christian.” One day, a gloomy friend said to her, “Ah, it is well enough to be happy now, but I should think the thought of your future would sober you. Only suppose, for instance, you should have a spell of sickness and are unable to work. Or suppose your present employer moves away and no one else gives you anything to do. Suppose . . .”

Nancy knew where the conversation was going and raised her hand to interrupt her friend. “Stop! I never use the word suppose. The Lord is my Shepherd, and I know that I shall not want. And, Honey, it is all your ‘supposing’ that is making you so miserable. You had better give them up and just trust the Lord.”

We worship God with our lives. Not just with the songs we sing on Sunday morning, but with the way we live each day—including the way we greet others and talk about what God is doing in us. Some people may have an abundance of money while others appear to have very little. It does not matter. If they know the Savior, they have a wealth that this world cannot understand.

Fame and riches mean nothing to God. Some of the wealthiest people in the world are also the loneliest. However, if you have a personal relationship with the Savior, you are never alone. Instead of thinking about what could happen, enjoy the goodness of this day, and worship Him for His faithfulness. He stands watch over your life and gives you promises that will hold true for eternity. Therefore, worship the Lord, and He will bless you in ways that are far greater than you can imagine.