Make Yourself that Somebody Part Two: Maybe I Should Write It Myself (A Summer Devotional Book for Kids!)

Last night, I’m searching two different stores for little summer devotional books for my children.  I want to take seriously my role in helping them develop spiritually.  I spend so much time fostering their social, intellectual, and physical development, but I don’t often know what to do with their spiritual growth.

I end up blaming other people for not doing a better job helping my children grow in their relationship with God.  If only the church were better!  If only someone would write a great book for my children!  Somebody should really do this for me. 

Remember what happens when I say, “Somebody should really. . .”?  

So I search for resources, and then I start complaining.  This is too cheesy!  This is too boring!  This is too watered-down!  This is poorly written!  This is doctrinally inadequate!  This is outdated!  My girls will never read this!

(I can be so arrogant and picky.  God is working on me.  I know that there are many great devotional books out there, but I want one tailor made for my girls.) 

Somebody should really write a better devotional for my children.  

I’m standing there complaining.  I had just read a parenting book challenging mothers to “parent out of their strengths,” and I wrote in the margin that my main strength in this world is writing.

Suddenly, I hear that Holy Spirit nudge that if I’m so upset about all the spiritual material for young girls, I should write some myself. 

I should get a glittery, fun 3 ring binder (they could decorate it!) and fill it with pages of devotions I write myself made to suit my children.  I realize that I have things to pass on, and these girls are at that ripe age of development where biblical truth can sink into the soil of their hearts.

I wake up, and I make a list of the 30 things I want them to know.  If we have three devotions a week, these 30 pages will take me through the whole summer with them.  Each little devotion will be less than 300 words (at their reading level) and contain an action point for their lives with a real-world scenario that they’ve faced, are facing, or will face.  Here’s my list.  What would you add that’s essential for a child to know?