After the earthquake a friend brought down some curriculum for us to use with our kids. It was all about helping kids deal with trauma. Over and over again in the past year and a half + I have thought about using it-- both in larger and smaller group settings. But I never used it. Until this past week when I started doing it with Nia. (And the boys too some, but they are kind of too little to really grasp it.)
One of the lessons talks about David's laments to the Lord. Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with the word lament, let me offer you a definition:
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la·ment/ləˈment/
| Noun: |
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The curriculum used Psalm 13 as a guide and then helps lead children in writing their own lament.
With my input only on the structure, Nia wrote the following lament--
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Dear God, It's not fair that the bad guys came in. It's not fair that we have to suffer when other people do bad things. It's not fair that they did not come to our house only but they went to other houses too. It's not fair that they shot our friend.
But I trust you, God, because you love me, you take care of me, you protected me, you made me, you had life before me.
So... I still love you. I still trust you. I still praise you.
****
I. LOVE. THIS. KID.
(PS-- She's 8.)
And by the way-- I am working on my own lament now...
