Earlier this week a troubled soul made a threat to the local schools by emailing several school officials and claiming that on April 24th (today) there would be some sort of mass violence at a local elementary school. A letter was sent home to parents regarding the threat and although the threat was most likely a hoax sending the letter was the right thing to do. Parents then were faced with the decision of whether or not to send their children to school on April 24th. Law enforcement agencies worked together to trace the source of the threat and deemed it a hoax.
I opted to send my children to school, but I will admit that my confidence faltered a little as I drove up to the front of the school without any wait (unheard of) and realized that about half of the students would not be at school today. Was I making the right decision? Should I go back and take my children home?
I drove past the school several times during the day and saw at least one police officer each time. Obviously law enforcement was stepped up and working overtime to protect and defend our children. And for that I am grateful. (And now the school day is over and every child is safely home.)
The threat of violence at our local school is relatively low even on days like today, April 24th. But different threats face our children every day. Will they succumb to negative peer pressure? Will today be the day they are accidentally exposed to pornography? What kind of language will be used around them? What kind of media will they be exposed to? Will our children know how to stand up for their beliefs and standards?
Are we as parents, teachers, and leaders as vigilant as we need to be in preparing for and defending against the day to day threats our children face? Are we strengthening our own defenses against evil so that we can have the guidance of the Lord to help us strengthen our children's defenses?
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