As parents, we all have dreams for our children. We want them to succeed in school, excel in sports, make good friends, and grow to be healthy, well-balanced adults.
But, as Christians, are dreams are bigger than these things. Our hope is not only that our children are good citizens of earth, but genuine citizens of heaven. Ultimately, we want them to know, love, and follow Jesus.
Even so, we also know that our children will face obstacles along the way. They may not succeed in school. They may get cut from their sports team. And maybe they’ll have trouble fitting in.
In short, they will face hard things. They are growing up in a fallen, broken world and, despite our best efforts, they will eventually have to face that brokenness head-on.
So, here’s the question for us as parents: Are we preparing our children to handle such hard things when they come their way? Can we explain why these bad things happen? And are we able to explain how they fit into God’s plan?
To be sure, these are not easy questions for parents to answer. Even for seasoned theologians, it is difficult to explain why God—if he’s all good—allows bad things to happen. And kids tend to ask such questions when we are least prepared to answer them.
So, you may be wondering: Are there any tools for parents to help them teach their kids—when they are young—how to think biblically and hopefully about hard things? And can this be done is such a way that is still fun for kids and easy to understand?
Yes! And this is why I am so excited about wife Melissa’s brand-new book, Count it All Joy. It was just released with Harvest House in October 6th. It is a charming and delightful journey into how to face hard things, with a hopeful tone, and beautiful illustrations.
As the title indicates, this book is based off of James 1:2-4: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
The motivation for the book is actually a true story. Many years ago when our daughter Emma was learning to ride her bike, she fell off and scraped up her knee on the concrete. With tears in her eyes, she came up to Melissa and asked the question we all ask: “Why didn’t God protect me?”
No parent expects that they will have to answer questions about the “problem of evil” in the middle of the street with their child. But that’s the way life goes sometimes. When it comes to raising kids, things rarely happen at ideal times. We just have to deal with the issues that arise, the best we can.
But that moment made Melissa realize a couple things. First, every parent is a theologian whether they realize it or not. We spent a lot more time than we realize answering questions about God, the Bible, and the Christian life. For our children, we are the first people they will come to with their questions.
And second, she realized she wanted to help other parents deal with similar challenges as they arise. And that’s why she wrote Count it All Joy.
You can order copy here! In the meantime, here’s a video of Melissa talking about her book: