Very brief, but I thought this might be helpful….
Yesterday I saw the news about Sandy Hook while the children were having room-time. I went to each of the big children and discussed it with them separately. I also asked them not to discuss it among themselves but to come to us if they had questions.
I told them:
What had happened:
“We don’t know why, but a man with a gun went into a school up in Connecticut (that’s up North) this morning and killed some children and some teachers. I’m telling you so that if you hear people talking about it you will understand what they are talking about.”
The immediate question was of course, “Why?”:
” We don’t know exactly why and we may never find out. Perhaps the man was very angry about something and didn’t have any self-control in his anger. Sometimes people do wrong things because they choose to do wrong things and sometimes they are sick in their minds and do wrong things while believing that they are doing right things. We don’t know exactly why, but we do know the underlying cause.”
“The world is broken.”
“Yes, the world is broken and because of that there are sad things that happen and people everywhere (including you and me) make bad choices and do wrong things.”
“But someday Jesus will come back and un-break it.”
“Yes.”
They haven’t asked anymore about it. I expect they will at some point, but I think that discussion should be enough to buffer and filter what they hear in the next few weeks.
We do not live or grieve as those who have no hope. (I Thessalonians 4)