Being a parent is such a blessing! But if we’re being honest, it's a tough job. There are a million people and organizations that claim to have all the answers. There are books about every possible situation that could arise, there are multiple perspectives on all those situations. Friends and family share their wisdom and even perfect strangers seem to know exactly what your child needs and are happy to share it with you whether you ask for it or not.
There are topics such as sleeping, eating, disciplining, swaddling, and how and when to do all of those. However, there is one topic about parenting that seems to only have a small section in libraries and bookstores, and that is developing our children spiritually. There are the questions such as, where do I start? When do I start? What topics do I cover? Is there a good devotional book for young children?
Very recently I came across a devotional book written by Sarah Young. Sarah is a great author and has written several different devotional books. One of her best sellers is the “Jesus Calling” devotional series. She has written them for both adults and children. In 2015, she wrote one that is specifically geared toward toddlers and preschoolers. It is called, “Jesus Calling for Little Ones” and is written from God’s perspective as if He were talking directly to a young child.
I don’t have every parenting answer there is, but after reading through this wonderful book with precious illustrations, I would highly recommend it to parents with young children. After reading just the first few devotionals from this book, I was brought to tears.
To answer the question about when do I start, it’s never too early to start sharing the love of Christ with your child. From infancy through around the age of 12, our children’s brains are taking in information and beginning to form morals, values, and truths. At the age of 13, their brains start to “file away” any information that they’re not using consistently. The more consistent we can be with sharing truth with our children, the more it will rest in the forefront of their minds. What better way to help develop our children, than to teach and remind them that they are loved by their creator?
“Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:7