Even Church Kids Need Help Sometimes

Even Church Kids Need Help Sometimes….

Your family goes to church. You are involved in church. You teach your children all about God and how He loves them. That’s great! But, you and your children still live in the world. Your kids still have issues. They have hurts of this life that they just may not know how to deal with. And you as their parent don’t know how to help them.

The problems of this world still affect you and your children. There is still divorce, abuse, bullies, death, and so on. Your child still needs someone they can talk to, a professional sometimes. Just because you or your child needs counseling does not make you a weak person or mean that you are not a good parent or a good Christian. It just needs you need help.

So, how as a parent do you find a true Christian counselor for yourself, or your family? Just because it says “Christian” on the door may not make it true. Ask your pastor who they would recommend. I have pastors tell me time and time again they won’t recommend someone unless they have met them and talked to them to know they are a Christian in word and deed. When you talk with a counselor that says they are a Christian ask them if they use scripture or biblical principles to counsel. You will get a good idea pretty quickly whether they do or not.

When someone asks me questions about how I counsel and use scripture, my response it typically along the lines of, I use it all the time. If I know that you or your child is a Christian and that is why you have sought me out I tell them point blank that we will pull out the Bible and use it as we are talking. I will share with your child biblical concepts like “treat others the way you would like to be treated.” Or I will use concepts from the Bible to talk about things like anger and sin. (I have taught Sunday School for many years!)

Also, when you or your child needs help, reach out to your church family. Talk to your pastor or your youth pastor and see what they can do to help you. When your child is hurting pray with them and for them, I am sure you do this already! Let your child know that you are praying for them. Be available to them for when they need to talk. Talk to them about biblical concepts that can help them in their situation.

I have had many kids who come from good Christian homes that struggle with things like depression, anger, anxiety, stress, bullies, school, peers, and so on. I have had teens tell me that they think about hurting themselves. These are teens that come from good Christian homes with good Christian parents. Satan is alive and at work! If he can’t take you out, he will go for your kids!

Kids need to learn how to handle the problems of life in a godly way. They need to understand who they can go to in time of need and hurt. They need to know who they can trust. This is a conversation parents need to have regularly with their children. You as parents need to talk to them about other adults that you trust and who can help your child if you are not available or able.

I do not have kids of my own, but I make it very clear to my church kids and other kids I come in contact with that they can ALWAYS come to me. I make myself available to kids at church if they need to talk to me. I try very hard to be a person that not only do kids trust but so do their parents.

Your family needs to be in a church with an active children’s and youth program with adults who love on your children on a weekly basis. If this isn’t happening then your family may need to find a new church home. A church is not a building; it is the people who are inside of it that make it a family.

When your family is in trouble or hurting there is no shame in seeking out help. Just because they live in a Christian home does not mean they won’t try things like drugs or alcohol. It doesn’t mean they won’t feel sad or like they want to harm themselves. These are big issues parents, issues that most likely need the help of a professional. So, pray and seek out help! God may have just the right person there to help you or your child!