How to prepare children to handle life’s challenges
Do you wonder if your children are going to make it through some of the difficult tests life will throw at them? Every parent and caregiver wants to protect their children from the hazards of the world, but preparing kids for challenges often means we have to teach them how to respond appropriately. Kids need to know how to tackle life’s dilemmas. They need a challenging amount of responsibility in their everyday lives as well as the need to learn how to handle difficulty with patience and grace.
How can we start preparing kids for challenges early in life? By teaching them how to see God’s hand in difficulties, learning to trust Him with their problems and finding victory through faith and obedience to God’s Word.
Jesus exemplified overcoming hardship with faith and obedience
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When it comes to overcoming hardship and seeing God’s hand in difficulties, Jesus is the ultimate example. Hebrews 5:8 says Christ learned obedience through the things which He suffered. It’s strange to think that Jesus, who was God in the flesh, needed to learn obedience — that He needed to totally surrender to the Father’s will, and step away every day to pray and exercise His dependence on the Father. And yet, as a human, growing up through childhood and teen years, Jesus strengthened His ability to yield to God the Father by passing the tests presented to Him, until He ultimately became obedient to death on the cross. The word “obedient” is used again in Philippians 2:8, “And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.” If Jesus needed to learn obedience to the Father, then how much more do we?
Preparing kids for challenges starts small
It’s important to note that Jesus’ journey of finding victory in hardships with faith and obedience didn’t start with His world-altering acts on the cross. The Bible tells us of the many small tests Jesus passed first throughout His life that grew His obedience and ability to see God’s hand in difficulties, to the point of obedience on the cross. So, we see that preparing kids for challenges should happen in much the same way — viewing small dilemmas in life as dress rehearsals for the big plays that will matter in eternity. Each small obstacle or hardship we face should be viewed as an opportunity.
James, Chapter 1 says to count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds, including the small, inconvenient ones. Sometimes it feels easier to choose patience and look for God’s hand in difficulties that are big or scary, while the tiny annoyances of life trigger frustration and complaining. Yet, children watch to see how we handle the little things as examples for overcoming hardship in their own lives later. Often, preparing kids for challenges means watching our own attitudes so that impressionable eyes witness patience, surrender and the practice of seeing God’s hand in difficulties — big or small.
Practice seeing God’s hand in difficulties
While overcoming hardship sounds, by nature, to be a laborious thing, that doesn’t always have to be the case. In fact, the practice of seeing God’s hand in difficulties throughout our day can even become a fun game for the family — especially when preparing kids for challenges and overcoming hardship, themselves. While we can’t always see how God is working in hard circumstances, we should still be on the lookout. When a tire goes flat, say, “How could this be a blessing in disguise?” and get an idea from everyone in the car.
When you forget something and there’s a consequence, talk about it and say, “What could God be teaching me through this that will help me in the future?” and get some ideas. Maybe a delay or problem gives you the opportunity to speak to someone that you wouldn’t have otherwise, and it becomes an encouragement to both of you. No matter the situation, there is always something good to be found or a lesson to be learned within it. We only have to be faithful to look and obedient enough to persevere to find it. The most important thing you can do is to use your own hardships as examples of God’s hand at work.
Take great care in applying this to your child’s hardships, or they may feel that you’re dismissing their hurt and disappointment. Show compassion for them as they go through their own challenges like preparing for a test or experiencing the sadness of a friend moving to a different school. When appropriate you can help them apply the same principles you’ve demonstrated for them, being a “detective” to think about ways God can help them grow through these experiences. The children will gradually grow in their faith and obedience, even as the challenges grow increasingly difficult, and God prepares them for each new step of faith in life. Be sure to notice and commend them when they do handle a challenge well!
Without a doubt, the best way to start preparing kids for challenges early in life is to demonstrate how it can be fun to look for God’s hand in difficulties — practicing surrender and finding calm in the storm by overcoming hardship through obedience. After all, when every small hardship is merely an opportunity to do everything for the glory of God, life becomes a lot more exciting and meaningful.
Fred Pry is the Acting Vice President of Administration at Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), the most impactful child evangelism ministry in the world, reaching over 25 million children with its face-to-face ministry in 2023. Fred joined CEF in 2003 as director of a local chapter in Pennsylvania before being appointed state director of Virginia. Later, he was invited to lead USA Ministries, and since 2024 he has been serving in the role of Vice President of Administration and providing further leadership to the organization as one of CEF’s executive staff.
