So we have a couple of toddler bibles... and they bug me. The stories in them are so inaccurate. They are watered down. They tell the story of the flood as though Noah lived on this awesome happy floating zoo, while completely leaving out the part where everyone on earth besides Noah's family was drowned. It's just a happy story about animals. Oh, and there is a rainbow. Then there's Joseph... I can't get through that story without crying. It is an incredibly painful story. Things worked out for Joseph in the end, but it was not an easy road. But in the kid version of the story all is well. And of course, Jesus. The toddler story skips over Judas's betrayal, the beatings, the humiliation, etc. Yes, Jesus dies, but without much "umph."
My question is, is this good? Is it right? The Bible is brutal. It is filled with amazing stories of God's redemption and love. But they are not all happy stories. In fact, few of them are. They end well. Don't get me wrong. I understand that hardships and heartache usually come before triumph. And that is the beauty of salvation. God saves us from our self destructive ways. He loves us and seeks us to be His own all the while using the hard things in our lives that are a result both living in a fallen world and of our own choices.
But do my kids need to understand that? Of course! Do they need to understand that now? Am I putting them at a disadvantage by only telling the happy parts? Even if it is okay to tell them these watered down truths, why even read the Bible. How is it better than any other bedtime story? Should I read stories about right and wrong and leave the hard truths of the Bible until they can understand?
I don't have any answers at all. I do think it is good to read scriptures to my children. Not just good, absolutely necessary. I try to focus on God's promises and commandments. I try to avoid "lying" by telling half truths. I also want to avoid making her-relearn these things in the future. I do, however, want to fill her with the hope and peace of God's word now. As often as possible.
Jaclyn,
ReplyDeleteI think for me personally this was a down fall and even up into "sunday school" and vacation bible school these stories were watered down and it still to this day at 25 years old is so hard for me to understand that being a believer in God doesn't automatically give you "great" things in life. I think the stories should be a gradual building block depending on what they can comprehend at the time. So that when they find out the whole story they aren't disappointed or turned away by seeing that God isn't going to immediately fix the problem at hand. Hope this view helps. I hope you and the family are well. Cannot wait to see you all sometime!
love,
Joanna