As I sat on our couch with a child on each side of me, a child on my lap, and a baby on the floor, we all quieted down for one of our favourite times of the day……. storytime!.
I didn’t dwell on how slightly uncomfortable I was feeling. An elbow in my side, the heaviness on my lap and a few tugs of my hair, it didn’t take away from what I think is one of the most meaningful times with my kids.
I was about to open up one of the most beautiful things that feeds into our children’s spirit….. their bible!
I have to be honest, I think their little bibles speak more to me, then to them sometimes. I’m not sure if it’s the way that they are worded, or if it’s the sweet but powerful pictures in them, but I seem to tear up more times than I wish to say.
The simple but strong faith of the children, and how they respond to the stories is humbling and convicting at times. They tell us about the courage of David and Joseph, the bravery of Esther and the faith of Noah!! They sing songs about ‘never giving up because Jesus is always by their side’, and how Jesus LOVES the little children to come to Him ( Matt 19:14)
I pray that my children always desire to read their bibles! Never allowing that desire to fade. We start young with them – letting them know the importance and excitement of the word of God!! Having the truth of God’s word resonate deep in their hearts so that when they are older, they will always turn to it for every answer.
I read an amazing blog by Sam Luce. He had a post a while back on keeping up with your children’s bibles. Kids need age appropriate bibles in order for them to want to read them. They also need to see example….. kids will want to read their bibles when they see how their parents are getting fed and excited about what God is speaking to them. We need to guide our children.
Here is the link to that post. http://samluce.com/2009/10/resources-to-help-your-kids-read-their-bibles/#more-2102
This allowed me to see what bibles were good for each child according to their age, and how they would benefit from it! My eldest has the Day by Day bible, my 5 year old has the Jesus Story Book bible, and my little guy loves to look at his Action bible (a little old for him, but he loves when we read it to him until he learns to read himself) We also have a picture story book bible for him and our 1 year old.
More than any other book out there, I encourage every parent to get your child a great bible that they can read. Make it special, and get them excited about the word of God!.
- For the word of God is alive and powerful. Sharper than any double-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12
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