Article March 6, 2006 Issue

NO FEAR FOR THE RISING GENERATION

BY ROBIN HOAGLAND

THE FIRST REPORTS that evening shook me. A chemical bomb attack had been launched on a civilian center. I held our infant son tighter in my arms and cast a glance at our threeyear-old daughter playing on the floor nearby. Even though the events were unfolding an ocean away, I found myself blinking back the tears of a surging sorrow and feeling of helplessness. All I could think was, "What kind of world are we bringing these children into?"

By the time I tucked them both into bed, I was positively hollow with fear for the unknown dangers their lives would be exposed to. The only place of refuge I could find that terrible night was in prayer. And for an hour or more, I was half praying, half pleading to a divine ear that those in the news would be cared for. And that those under my own roof could grow up safely.

Little by little, my aching desire for a measure of hope and comfort found that divine reassurance. What I'd learned about God as omnipotent good, through my study of Christian Science, had begun to assuage my fears. I was able to acknowledge that the very nature of God provides safe haven for one and all. God, being infinite, was right there with me in that darkened bedroom. And right there with those under siege. God is Love itself, extinguishing all fear and hate. The more conscious I became of God's presence and power, the less dread I felt of the future.

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