A prayer to raise hopeful kids by Christine Brown, but in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.

Always be prepared to give an answer

to everyone who asks you to give the reason

for the hope that you have.

First Peter 315. Discouraging Headlines 1st Peter, 3.15.

Discouraging headlines top the evening news.

Clashing opinions fill our social media feeds.

Kids are surrounded by negativity online. Is it any surprise they would be

affected by the cynicism they hear every day? Yet we know God wants us to have hope.

Paul teaches in Romans 5.2 that we should boast in the hope of the glory of God.

So as parents, how do we teach our kids to be hopeful in an increasingly cynical world. Here are three ideas. First, we can

ask ourselves one question, am I overflowing with hope? Even though outside influences bombard our kids daily, no one has

more influence over their attitudes than their parents. Changing my own actions and

words can alter the entire atmosphere of our home.

So the best thing we can do to instill hope is to demonstrate it.

Second, look for the however in hurtful situations. There is expectation in the word

however. It speaks contrast. It declares promise and we need that. We need the hope of a

silver lining in hurtful times because we will have troubles. And as much as we'd like

to shelter them from the pains of life, our kids will have troubles too.

So it's critical for them to understand God's desire to teach us great things through difficult situations. And last, don't accentuate the negatives.

They get enough attention as it is.

Awareness can bring about positive change, but it can also be a burden on our children, who may feel powerless.

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