A Children’s Bible & A New Perspective

When should I start reading the Bible to my kid(s)? NOW! Aren’t they too young to even understand or care? NO! It is never ever too early to expose your kids to God’s Word! The more they are immersed in and exposed to it now, the better they will understand it, desire it, grow fond of it, and so much more! A good example might be infants exposed to cats and/or dogs at an early age. We have 3 fur babies in the home. Oakley has never been nervous around any pets she has come in contact with! In fact, she LOVES them! However, a kid who isn’t exposed at an early age is more likely to develop fear, hesitation, etc. towards animals. It works similarly with the Bible and God’s love. The more they are exposed and taught now, the better! 

In our home, we make it a point to pray daily together as a family. We also have been trying to be more consistent in daily Bible reading to Oakley. Granted, there are days that get away from us and we completely forget. We love this Bible a friend got us before our sweet girl even arrived. What I thought would be just a cute children’s Bible has revealed things to me that I had never considered before! Crazy, right?! Let me show you.

If you’ve been in church any length of time, I’m sure you’ve heard the story about Noah and the ark. If not, take a moment to read Genesis 6-9. 

In very short form, God told Noah to build an ark for himself, his family, and two of every kind of animal. God was not happy with the evil of the world, so he planned to send a flood but promised to protect Noah and his family. The story ends with a beautiful rainbow marking God’s promise to never destroy the earth with a flood again. 

It really is an amazing story. In Oakley’s Bible, there are little description boxes placed randomly throughout the pages with notes, cool facts, or details. One of these boxes revealed to me a whole new look at the ark and the story I thought I understood pretty well. In the part of the story where God is giving Noah instructions on building the boat and what animals to include, a description box states “The ark is a large box of a boat created to float, not sail. It was huge: three stories high and the length of one and a half football fields.” 

The words “created to float, not sail” are what got my attention. The ark had no rudder and no helm. Both of which you would need to steer a ship. There were no emergency paddles or lifeboats to board if it crashed. The ark was only able to float. So, it just floated. 

For 40 days and 40 nights it rained. In total, Noah and his family spent 370 days on the ark with animals of all kinds. Unable to pick the direction they headed or steer the boat where he wanted, Noah had to trust and patiently wait. He had to trust where God “steered” them. He couldn’t take control on day 20 because things looked rough or uncertain. Just trust.

How many times do we say yes to God’s calling but then still try to control what it looks like, where it goes, how long it takes, and so on, instead of letting God steer us? Instead of putting 100% trust in God and surrendering our own plans and desires, we try to take over when it isn’t happening fast enough or when it requires too much of us. We tweak our callings so they don’t inconvenience our lives. We trust God with some control, but secretly have one hand on the steering wheel ready to take over. 

If you read the end of Noah’s story, everything turns out great! 

Then God said to Noah, “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.” So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another.
Genesis 8: 15-19 NIV

The story doesn’t end with “So, Noah came out- but with some casualties.” It is the same with us! When we are obedient and following God’s calling on our lives, there will be rain, storms, floods. But, if you surrender every aspect to Him, He will never steer you wrong. You will see your rainbow and beautiful outcome. Just trust!

And while you trust God with your situation, don’t grow lazy in the waiting. Noah had hundreds of animals cooped up with him. I’m sure his 370 days on the ark weren’t filled with relaxation on the balcony taking time off. He had mouths to feed, stalls to clean, etc. Yes, he was waiting, but he worked and served the Lord while he did so. While you wait for your rainbow to appear at the end of the storm, seek God daily and serve Him. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed with where God steers the boat.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

Lamentations 3:25 ESV

So, reading the Bible to your children at any age, even as a newborn, not only benefits them, it can impact you in multiple ways, too! It might reveal things in scripture that you’ve never noticed before like it did for me! Be sure to grab your favorite cup of coffee as you sit down to read with your kids! Happy reading!

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