The Lion’s Share of Fear

24 At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. Daniel 6:24 (NLT)

Have you ever been reading your Bible and come across a previously benign Scripture that suddenly jumps out at you?  Recently the above verse had me wondering why I’d never paid much attention to the details of this passage.

In particular, the sentence; the wives and children of Daniel’s accusers were thrown into the lion’s den along with the men that falsely accused Daniel. They were all devoured before their bodies even reached the floor.

The text isn’t specific about how many men set out to destroy Daniel by ratting him out to King Darius. What is so disturbing to me, is the fact that ALL of their wives and children were punished along with them. Why had I never noticed that whole families were punished for the actions of a few? This is just one Biblical example, but there are many more instances where MANY were punished because of the FEW.

Does that seem fair? Can you imagine – you’ve done nothing wrong, but you and your children are dragged from your home and thrown to the lions because your husband messed up?

The bad choices of these men backfired and ended up costing them their lives, as well as the lives of their families. Their wives and children must have experienced overwhelming terror without even knowing why.

There are times in life when we as parents make decisions that directly affect our families. Divorce, moving, illness, financial problems – the list is endless. It can be extremely stressful making huge life decisions that we know will impact the people around us.

This current pandemic, forced isolation and violent nationwide protests are very real examples of life changes happening that are affecting everyone. Many of us have never dealt with difficulties and challenges of this magnitude.

If we as adults are having difficulties processing everything that is happening (I know I AM) – imagine how children must feel being isolated from school and friends and the complete disruption of their lives???

How are WE as parents communicating what is happening in the world with our children or grandchildren?

Are we projecting OUR fears, worries or panic onto the members of our family? Are we hoarding supplies? Are we complaining about wearing masks, isolation, homeschooling, job furloughs and having our lives completely turned upside down?

What kind of example are we setting? Are we adhering to safety guidelines? Are we modeling peace to our children? Are we praying with our children? Are we reassuring our little ones that while these are scary times we are living in – we have total trust and confidence that God will safely see us through?

Are we using these unprecedented life challenges to press in to God?

The events happening around us may be an ongoing thing for a long while. Don’t throw your family to the lions and expect them to just deal with this on their own.  Reassure your family that God is in control. He calms the storms and He can calm us.

Blessings in Christ,
Kathy K.