Raising God fearing children amidst Covid-19

Developing and applying biblical principles to provide proper spiritual care for children is a great idea which every parent would wish to offer to his/her children with the help of religious leader to impart good morals among them.

Yet due to the Covid -19 pandemic lockdown everything has changed since no one is allowed to visit each other in fear of transmitting the disease.

The Covid-19 lockdown has caused a lot challenges to parents as far as the spiritual life is concerned that they cannot even save time to teach their children about the fear of God since they are busy looking for food and the losses registered in their businesses.

It is believed that if a parent is to raise well his/her children, the best way to do it is to train them in the fear of the Lord at an early age and this makes it hard for them to misbehave said Allan Kajumba a resident of Kyebando in Kawempe division and a father of three.

Muhammed Ssentamu a resident of Komamboga in Kawempe division said that the Covid-19 lockdown has affected them in that they do not even time to teach their children religion since most of their time is focused on how to recover the losses registered in business when they were in lockdown.

He explained that before the lockdown children were used sent mosques and churches where religious leaders could impart the knowledge about fear of God in them but with lockdown and worship centres being closed it’s quite hard.

"Before the coming pandemic, parents had a chance to take their children to mosques and churches where they were taught about the fear of God, but this is hard today because of Covid-19," said Ssentamu.

How can parents balance work as well as instil the fear of God in their children?

According to Proverbs 22:6, the scriptures encourage parents to groom children in the fear of God that that even when they grow old, they will still live in the fear of God.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it," the verse says.

For some parents, the lockdown has been a blessing in disguise as far as imparting spiritual values in their children is concerned.

Robert Nsubuga, a father of five said that the lockdown has helped him to find time to fellowship with his children than never before.

"Before the lockdown, I used to wake up early and rush to work without praying with my children but now days with curfew I am able to have morning prayers with my children. I have taught them to pray before eating and also to ask God for provision," Nsubuga said.

In the Old Testament, Moses taught the Israelites God's commands in order to help them to in live godly lives. Therefore, our standards must come from God's standards. As these commands have been taught to us, we need to teach them to other (children) and the scriptures explains more in Deuteronomy.

“Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it."