Allowing Children of Divorce to Disciple and Minister

Many times when one reads articles or post about kids of divorce, we read about hurting children. However, we have hundreds of children in our churches that are healing from the devastation of divorce. These are kids whose parents have kept them in church. Have you considered allowing children of divorce to disciple and minister to other hurting kids?

These are also the children that been through DC4K, Divorce Care for Kids. These are the kids that are back on their feet. They have crossed the victory line so to speak. While they will always have to deal with the divorce and living in two homes, they have learned how to accomplish this surmounting task with dignity and with the help of a heavenly Father.

These are the kids that can minister to almost any kid in your Sunday morning class or other group situations at your church.

• These kids know what it’s like to hurt, to be sad and how to get through some rough times.
• They know what anger and rage feel like and how to process their feelings so they don’t hurt so much anymore.
• They can befriend the child that is being abused. You will have many that have experienced it themselves, although you may never know it. But they will recognize others who are in the same situation.
• They can ease the transition of a new child to the area and to your church.
• These are the kids we need to call on to pray for other children.
• If asked they can befriend a new comer.

Don’t discount what God has done or is doing in their lives. Many of these children have old souls in that they have lived with more hurt and problems than many Christian adults. They understand.

When my son was a senior in high school I asked him to not run around with one of his friends who was continually getting into trouble.

My son said to me,

“Mom, when I was in the second grade and dad left I told you I needed someone to talk to when I felt lonely. You told me that God could be the dad in our home. I told you I wanted someone with skin on and you told me to pray about it. So I prayed about it one night and I asked God to bring a special person into my life. Somebody that I could talk to and laugh with and play sport with and be my best friend. The next morning David showed up in my class and I knew that was the special friend God was sending me. We have been friends for ten years and I will not desert him at a time when he needs someone faithful. He needs my friendship now more than ever.”

Whoa! For ten years my son had been ministering and had been acting as a disciple to his friend David. He had brought David to church early on. He stayed in contact with David even when they went to middle school and high school. He prayed for David and for David’s family. He witnessed to David. He took David to a Christian camp in the summer when they were teens. He never forgot his friend David.

Never discount what a child of divorce can do; how they can minister and how they can disciple others.

This article is updated and adapted from an article originally published on Divorce Ministry 4 Kids on August 16, 2013.