When Easter comes around some of us struggle with the dilemma of how to approach Easter with our children. Christmas is pretty easy. It’s the time Jesus was born as a baby. Children understand that.
But Easter? How do we explain the significance of Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection, so a child can understand it? And then to compound these issues, how do we handle the Easter bunny, which is the part of Easter that children do relate to, but which has nothing to do with the true meaning of Easter?
Children love heroes. For little boys, nothing surpasses the thrill of Spider Man, Batman, Tron and an array of new monster and dinosaur heroes that parents may have a hard time relating to.
For little girls, the joy of seeing the rescue of a damsel in distress warms her heart and reassures her that life can be safe and secure when heroes are around.
Underneath it all, doesn’t every girl want to one day find a hero? And doesn’t every boy dream of becoming one?
My Second Grade Hero
When I was in second grade, Stephen, a boy in my class, stood up for me in my utter embarrassment when other children laughed at me and pointed to a hole in my pants. “I don’t think it’s funny,” he said . . . and the other children stopped laughing. He became my hero, my first childhood “like.” And if I’d had a boy instead of two girls, one of the names I had chosen to use was . . . you guessed it . . . Stephen.
But who is actually the greatest hero of all? Who sacrificed his life for us so we could live forever? Who loved us so much that even when we ourselves were a sinful mess and oblivious to our fate of destruction, he chose to rescue us and die for us? And beyond that, this hero didn’t just die the death of a martyr, he showed His power by coming back to life!
Wow! Now that’s a hero!
And that’s Jesus!
The biggest hero of all.
My new children’s book for Easter, which released this January, is about an ordinary rabbit that is willing to sacrifice his life for a little angel when a tiger threatens her life on the first Easter eve. It’s a winsome allegory about prayer, God’s omnipresence, His great love for us, and what Jesus did for us at Easter. It’s the story of a hero. Here’s an excerpt from The Bunny Side of Easter:
Audrey flapped her wings and rose up on her toes. “God loves us soooo much,” Audrey [the angel] said.
How much?” Hal [the bunny] asked.
Audrey stretched her arms as wide as she could. “This much!”
“Wow, that’s a lot,” Hal said.
As the story progresses and danger draws near, the little rabbit steps up to the plate and lets his bravery shine through when he saves her life and becomes an Easter hero . . . who then becomes the Easter bunny.
The Bunny Side of Easter is an adventure story of heroism that points children to the biggest hero of all—Jesus our savior who saved us, so we could live forever.
The Biggest Hero of All
So when talking to your children about the significance of Easter this year, let them know that Jesus is our BIGGEST hero. And if you want a little story to more easily lead you into that discussion, you might want to check out my new book, The Bunny Side of Easter. A discussion guide on my website will help drive the conversation.
If you’re one of those parents who have trouble knowing what to do with the Easter bunny and how to explain to your children how it relates to the true story of Easter, you may find that the heroism analogy in this little book can actually use the Easter bunny to help your children better understand what Easter is all about. For Easter is all about our hero—the biggest hero of all who came to rescue us and give us eternal life.
****
As author of The Bunny Side of Easter, Linda W. Rooks takes her life-long love of children’s books and uses it to tell a winsome, but exciting adventure that points children to the real meaning of Easter. Her first adult book, Broken Heart on Hold, was published in 2006 and continues to minister to women in broken marriages. Linda’s writing has appeared in a number of national publications, including Chicken Soup for the Beach Lover’s Soul, Focus on the Family, Today’s Christian Woman and HomeLife. She has appeared as a guest many times on TV and radio talk shows across the North American continent.
- Ch…ch…ch…CHANGES Are Coming in 2017 for TMI - December 27, 2016
- What New Thing Are You Ready to See God Do in Your Life in 2017? - December 26, 2016
- Heaviness and Newness - December 23, 2016
