And The Children, Are They Well?
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Kasserian Ingera?” (And the children, are they well?) — Maasai greeting
“All the children are well.” — Traditional response
It has now been more than ten weeks since Israel cut off food aid to Gaza. The situation has only worsened.1 This week, another wave of bombings struck the region, killing dozens more and deepening the sense of dread and devastation for a people already pushed to the brink.
The numbers are staggering—over 54,000 Palestinians estimated dead, many of them women and children.2 Behind the numbers are the images we struggle to hold: starving infants,3 displaced families, terrified children searching for loved ones beneath rubble. The grief is overwhelming. And yet, the silence from many corners of the world makes the pain feel even heavier. It is not only that this is happening. It is that we are allowing it to happen.
In the midst of this, I find myself remembering a greeting used by the Maasai people of Kenya.4 When they meet one another, they ask, “Kasserian Ingera?” It means, “And the children, are they well?” The expected answer is, “All the children are well.” It’s not a casual greeting. It’s a way of taking moral inventory. If the children are well, the community is well. If the children are not well, something is deeply wrong.
We already know the answer in Gaza. No, the children are not well. They are not safe. They are not fed. They are not held. They are not being protected. And they are watching. Always watching.
There’s an African proverb that says, “The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.” This is not just about one war or one country. It’s about the risk we run when children around the world grow up believing that violence is normal, that compassion is rare, and that their suffering is unseen. We are shaping the moral imagination of the next generation right now—through what we say and what we don’t, through what we choose to witness and what we choose to ignore.
This is not about taking political sides. This is about taking spiritual responsibility. We are called—deeply and unmistakably—to care for children. Not just the children who look like us, live near us, or speak our language. All children. Palestinian children. Israeli children. Sudanese children. Ukrainian children. Children in detention centers. Children in our own cities and neighborhoods.
The invitation for people of faith in this moment is not to turn away because it’s too painful. The invitation is to turn toward the pain. To bear witness. To grieve. To tell the truth. And then to ask with courage and humility: What can I do? How can I protect the children? How can I disrupt the systems that harm them?
This is where our spiritual maturity is tested—not in times of comfort, but in moments when the stakes are unbearably high and the temptation to go numb is strong. But numbness is not an option. Not when the children are watching. Not when their lives depend on our response.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
What emotions rise in you when you consider the suffering of children in conflict zones?
How have you been shaped by your own community’s response to violence—through silence or action?
What is one step you can take this week to advocate for the well-being of children—not just near you, but across the world?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer for the Children
Holy One,
How do we pray when the children are not well?
When bombs fall faster than food.
When babies are buried before they speak.
When fear becomes their native language.
We do not have enough words.
So we offer what we can—our attention, our grief, our trembling hope.
Turn our sorrow into action.
Turn our anger into protection.
Turn our despair into courage.
Let us not be the ones who looked away.
Let us be the ones who asked,
“And the children, are they well?”
And refused to rest until the answer was yes.
Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Bearing Witness, Holding Vigil
Today, light a candle. Place it in a window, on a table, beside a photo of a child you love. As the flame flickers, say the names of places where children are suffering:
Gaza. Sudan. Haiti. Ukraine. The U.S.–Mexico border. Your own neighborhood.
Say aloud: You are not forgotten. Your life matters. I will not look away.
Let your heart break if it needs to. Let that breaking become your prayer.
Then ask: What is mine to do?
Write it down. Act on it this week. Let your compassion become a form of protest. Let your prayer become a kind of protection.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
NEW!!! On June 4, 2025, from 7-8pm ET, join Brian McLaren, Matthew Fox, and me for an exploration of “In the Midst of Doom: Facing Our Moment and Finding Our Way” inspired by Brian’s latest book. In an age of climate crisis, political unraveling, and societal collapse, many are asking: What now? What’s worth doing when the systems around us are failing? How do we find meaning beyond hope as we’ve known it? Join us and we will explore together. Register here.
June 4, 2025, 12pm ET - Jeff Chu has written a new book on a topic close to my heart: Soil! The title is “Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand.” I am so pleased to be interviewing him. Together, we’ll explore what it means to cultivate “good soil” in our lives, our communities, and our spiritual practices. I hope you will register. Your registration includes a copy of his new book.
July 20-25, 2025 - The Art of Wilding: A 5-Day Expedition in Wyoming for Women Leaders. Click here to learn more.
August 11, 2025, 2pm ET - Dr. Andrew Root and I will be hosting a 6 part series on Spirituality in the Secular Age based on his research. The dates are August 11, 18, September 8, 15, and October 6, 13. Mark your calendars! More on this soon.
September 4, 4:30pm ET - I will be collaborating with the Anderson Forum for Progressive Theology to host a conversation with Thomas Jay Oord on Open and Relational theology. It’s a FREE event. Register here.
October 15-18, 2025 - Converging 2025: Sing Truth Conference (all musicians invited!) at Northwest Christian Church in Columbus, OH. Register here!
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjdznz727z8o
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/19/benjamin-netanyahu-israel-take-control-gaza-uk-france-canada-threaten-action
https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cwyn9291yv0o
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maasai_people
It is much the same as in America. Trump and his minions don’t care about the children and nobody is attempting to help them. As a matter of fact Congress is trying to hurt them even more…..GOD HELP US ALL!!!
Thank you so much for your posts! I'm an 85-year-old Episcopal Monastic Sister, an empath, formerly married with a deeply loved son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, and yes--the world's children, especially in areas of warfare and persistent/new contagious diseases, and this year in the United States of America--the heartbreak for the children, parents, families biological and chosen--all of us in our marvelous diversity, inequity, non-inclusion and facing new horrors daily! GOD HELP US ALL!!!