SENTINEL WATCH September 20, 2010 Issue

CHILDREN IN DISASTERS: PRAYER LIFTS TRAUMA

ANTHONY WHITEHOUSE

IS THERE ANYONE whose heart doesn't go out to children who suffer the trauma of losing their parents, homes, and friends—sometimes their whole communities—through disasters such as those that have affected places like Haiti, Chile, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China? Sometimes the images from media coverage fill one with dismay. There seems to be so little even local emergency workers can do, much less individuals far from the scene.

But that's actually untrue. You and I are well placed to make a major difference through our prayers. Instead of feeling helpless, we can trust that the same God who empowered Jesus' healing work will respond to our prayers for these individuals to lead them out of danger and misery.

In my prayer I've found a few truths that seem especially important. One is the essentially spiritual and pure nature of each child, man, and woman. In her discovery of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy perceived God to be Life itself. As the children or expression of Life, they include perfection, resilience, strength, which will sustain them, even in the midst of disaster.

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