As the Russian war on Ukraine continues into its third week, we are daily bombarded by heart-wrenching images—dead bodies of both soldiers and civilians, blown out apartment buildings, endless lines of Ukrainian refugees bundled up against the cold with only small carry-ons containing what they could hurriedly pack, weary and often tearful moms and their children packed in refugee centers or on trains traveling out of Ukraine. 

I know it is tempting to shield our children from the brutality of this war in order not to worry them or make them feel unsafe, but there are valuable lessons they can be taught from what is happening in a faraway land. Here are some that I can think of:

Generosity: It is amazing how so much of the world has come together to donate money, food, and clothing, as well as to offer housing for refugees. Kids naturally put a lot of emphasis on having things, but to counteract this tendency, presenting them with opportunities to be generous towards others helps go a long way toward nurturing kids to grow up to be generous adults. As Paul quoted Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

The Responsibility of Blessed Lives: Similarly, in the words of our Lord, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”(Luke 12:48b) Many of our children feel entitled to what they have. What we can teach them instead is they are blessed to have what they have, particularly if they see others their ages whose possessions are being destroyed. Sometimes that is all we do, remind our kids of how blessed they are, but Jesus takes this a step further. Being blessed requires good management of those blessings and part of that is sharing our blessings with others.

Courage and Self-Sacrifice: I mentioned last week how refreshing this was to see in so many Ukrainians. Jesus gave another very familiar command: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) How would you want others to react if you were suffering and/or needed help? This is a question to pose to our children at whatever age to encourage them to think not only about themselves and what they want, but also about others and what they may want or need. 

There is also another lesson here to teach, mainly to our older children: Some things in life are worth self-sacrifice beyond just studying hard or practicing long hours, which is typically what we think of when thinking of self-sacrifice. Risking our reputation, friendships, livelihoods, even our lives to do what is right and just is worth the cost. Jesus said, Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:24-25)

Christian history is full of faithful believers who gave up their lives or suffered greatly for Jesus. I share in my book,  Letters from Downstream, the story of a young man I met in Eastern Europe during the days of the “Iron Curtain.” This young man was aghast when I told him that many youth groups in America used food to attract students to their ministries. He told me he was involved in the church because he loved Jesus and was willing to suffer and even die for him. And the truth was at that time anyone involved in a church could be arrested by their communist overlords. Yet, this young man considered the risk worth it and could not comprehend American young people unwilling to do the same.

These are important lessons that can be gleaned from the war in Ukraine. You as a parent need to decide whether or not to use the war directly to teach these lessons or teach them using other illustrations and experiences. The important thing is that you teach them to your kids. They are biblical principles that need to be planted into their hearts so they will grow up to be mature and fruitful believers. One thing I do know, and what my friend Mandy Majors has built her ministry  around, is you need to be in conversation with your kids about these things and asking lots of good questions. I emphasize a lot the importance of modeling for our children what it looks like to follow Jesus, but this won’t always answer their questions. You need to give them opportunities and encourage them to ask.

As so terribly tragic as the war in Ukraine is, it offers us the opportunity to help our kids learn some biblical principles that can carry them into a much more mature relationship with Christ. We would be remiss not to take advantage of this teachable moment.

© Jim Musser 2022 All Scripture references are from the New International Version, 2011.