“My grandkids are coming this weekend. Could you please pray for grandpa and me to have wisdom when we need to discipline the kids or they exhibit bad behavior.”
That was my prayer request one week at our small group, prior to our grandkids’ visit without their parents. One of the group members then told me about a little book that she used when her kids were small called Little Visits with God. She said if it was just one of her kids acting out, she read it with that one, but if it was both of the kids, she had them read and discuss it together.
A few days later, she brought me a copy of the book from our church library. When the grandkids arrived that weekend, I was ready for them. Sure enough, they had a dispute. I pulled out this precious little book, Little Visits with God, and we read one of the numerous vignettes. There are various topics, each with a short story based on a Bible verse, discussion questions, and a prayer.
When my husband and I saw the results of working through issues with the kids using this book, he immediately went online and ordered the Golden Anniversary Edition! It also makes a great devotional to read and discuss with the kids at bedtime.
Recently, a Facebook friend was lamenting that her kids were feuding and fighting constantly and she had tried sending them each to their rooms numerous times to no avail. She and her husband had headaches from all the quarreling, and she was asking for help from anyone with ideas of what she could do. I recommended to her Little Visits with God. I find it’s applicable to all ages, but especially 7-10. Also after discussing the topic, you can refer back to the discussion later when the kids act up again.
The beauty of this book is that it brings God into the discussion and we can help the children see how God wants them to live. They remember better how to behave by arriving at their own answers to the questions. It’s far more effective when they come up with ideas for good behavior on their own instead of us telling them how they should act because we say so. They also have a great foundation for how to act when we’re not around them, but they know God always is there ready to guide them.
Are any of you familiar with this book? We would love to hear how you’ve used it.
Little Visits with God by Allan Hart Jahsmann and Martin P. Simon would make a great gift for parents this Christmas, or why not give a gift to yourself.
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