When Cissie Graham Lynch hosted her neighbors recently, her friend—also a mom of young children—asked a timely question.
“Do you let your kids watch the news?”
News played in the background while their kids, ranging in ages from 5 to 8 years old, ran into the house to grab snacks. The inquisition became a full discussion between the moms—and the topic of Lynch’s latest podcast episode on Fearless.
>> Listen to the full podcast episode.
“Christians have always seen difficult times,” Lynch said on her podcast. “The world has seen difficult times. But we’re just in a time of confusion … of chaos. All I can think of is it’s just dysfunctional. But with all of that, there is just so many great opportunities … to show the love of God.”
Lynch recently traveled to Lviv, Ukraine, with her father and visited a Samaritan’s Purse Emergency Field Hospital where Billy Graham chaplains are serving. The conflict in Ukraine has captured the world’s attention, appearing all over TV screens.
“Do we talk about these issues with our children? … How do we explain it? Should we hide it from them?” Lynch asked.
“For me and my family, we watch it,” Lynch, a mother of two, answered.
She made the decision after growing up watching her dad, Franklin Graham, and grandfather, Billy Graham, on the front lines of many humanitarian crises. “I always saw pictures of my father helping,” Lynch said, adding she also “saw the tough photos.”
But her father always explained what he was doing.
“You know, he’s going to serve those in the storms of life. And he’s going to love on them and help them to share the love of Jesus,” Lynch said. “And so, … [my husband] Corey and I are very open with our children.”
Lynch has found whether she talks about current issues with her kids or not, many times they learn about them through their friends. However, this sometimes causes them to be influenced by others’ opinions or not have all the facts.
So when her kids ask tough questions about the things happening around the world, she goes ahead and talks with them about it.
“You can do it in a way that is on their level that always points back to what’s happening,” Lynch said, noting that it’s important to be very levelheaded and sensitive to their individual personalities in these conversations.
Lynch wants her kids to know they don’t live in a perfect world, but they have a good God who goes before them.
“There is bad in the world, but … God is sovereign,” Lynch said. “And God is still working even in these moments.”
The mom shared how at the beginning of COVID, she explained to her kids the dangers of what was happening but said they didn’t have to fear because “God calls us to be strong and courageous. Our hope is in Him … our peace comes from Him.” And because the peace of God is in our hearts, we can share it with others.
With the current news in Ukraine, Lynch has encouraged her children to pray for Ukrainians struggling in the midst of chaos.
