Imagine a child asking, “How does a tree sleep?”

 

That’s a real question I was asked, and if you've spent any time with kids, I’m sure you’ve been asked some fun questions, too! I laughed and was honest in my answer, "I don't know!" 

 

We often struggle to answer children’s questions…and that was an easy one because it’s about our visible world! Rocks, clouds, oceans, fish, birds, and bugs are the subject of every child’s hungry imagination and glorious curiosity.

 

But kids also ask questions about God. The often “simple and innocent” questions asked by children have challenged history’s greatest thinkers. That's because these are questions about the mystical and invisible. If a visible tree is hard to explain, how can we communicate effectively with children when they ask about God?

 

Obviously, we start with Jesus: God made visible among us. Jesus as fully God and fully human has been described for over 2000 years. But what about when a child asks about the Holy Spirit: How do we talk about that invisible, amazingly powerful, presence? How do we describe the third person of the Trinity? And how do we help children understand that the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts today?

 

In the Hearts of His People is designed and written to help us more artfully talk about the mystery of the Holy Spirit to children. This colorful and friendly book helps children understand the big picture of the Spirit’s work throughout the Bible. It helps us have something "concrete" to show our children about how God the Holy Spirit has been at work in creation and among his people all along -- and will continue to do so as He works in each of our lives.

 

As you read this book to children, it is our hope and prayer that they will grow in their awareness that God is within them through the Holy Sprit. God will not only be the great and mighty God far above, He will also be more the God who is near to us and with us. This is so very important for every child to know (no matter how old they are!)

 

Will reading this book create more questions? Most likely the answer is yes! And that's a good thing. Remember, it's okay to say,"I don't know". Let those questions deepen your own study of Scripture and awaken your own childlike faith and curiosity as you seek answers for the precious little ones in your life. 

​

May God the Holy Spirit, the agent of creation, the author of Scripture, guide you into His truth.

​

​

David Cassidy

Pastor, Christ Community Church