Bible Journaling with Little Hearts by Esther Florence

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

I always thought Bible study was not meant for children. You tell them a Bible story, and they will enjoy it. They indeed love stories; strangely, all of us love a great story. In today’s technological world, when I watch 12-year-olds and 13-year-olds creating their own apps, their own youtube videos, gaming on their own, being so confident as to be on their own literally, I wonder whether we have used their immense talent for the furtherance of the Lord’s kingdom. Most of them who can so beautifully work in earthly wisdom find it difficult to recite simple Bible verses. Where have we failed as parents? Do our children love God’s Word as much as we loved His Word when we were younger? Today, distractions are too many. Strangely, the truth is still the same…there is a beautiful heaven awaiting only those who commit and live their lives for the Lord and Him alone. Heaven and earth WILL pass away, but HIS word will never pass away. How to instill this deep love for God’s word in today’s generation of children? How will my child love God’s word more than all the games on the mobile phone?

Teach the child how to listen to the voice of the Lord. When children realize that God speaks to them through His Word, the love for God’s Word will automatically increase. I love this allegory of the Lord Jesus being our Good Shepherd and us His sheep. The sheep are trained to hear the Shepherd’s voice, and once they know His voice, they will follow only that shepherd. There would be many shepherds grazing their sheep, but the sheep clearly recognizes its own shepherd.

While desiring to instill the Word of God powerfully in children, I came across Bible journaling. After my dad passed away, I went through his diaries that he had maintained over the years. There were so many significant and insignificant events all recorded there. The keepsake is indeed so precious, and all the numerous sermon notes are recorded. Journaling is not a new concept. Our parents and many of us maintain diaries where we record what the Lord spoke to us over the years.

Bible journaling is almost the same, but it felt like a new fresh idea because most of us love the concept of adding color and meaning to what we read and learn. We encourage our children to have their daily quiet time. Ask them to creatively write that Bible verse in a book or a diary and draw and color the same. Journaling Bibles seem a bit expensive, but it’s wonderful, to begin with, blank books, and that way, children would improve their art and writing skills.

Why Bible journaling for kids?

• Discovering a love for the Word of God creatively
• Documenting their walk with the Lord
• Drawing, coloring, and writing helps hone their motor skills
• Learning to be expressive in sharing their thoughts, feelings, and concerns
• Gaining confidence in their skills as an artist or writer
• Learning to write, claim, and practice the Word of God
• Developing a strong, lasting friendship with the Lord Jesus by spending time regularly with Him

There are several Bible journaling prompts available online if you want the children to study a specific topic like Fear of God or Second Coming or any other. You can also encourage the child to write their daily portion so that the Word of God becomes very real to them. Some useful tips would be:

• Do it from the heart: Let them write what really appeals to them and what will indeed have an impact on their life.
• Leave them to their own creativity: Do not try to influence them or do it your way. Let them use their own imagination, and they will indeed feel more accomplished.
• It's ok to get messy: Give them paints, colors, stickers, let them express themselves. You can always clean the mess, but the relationship that they build will surely last a lifetime.
• Do it together. As parents or as Sunday school teachers, do it along with them. I was looking at an Instagram page when mom and daughter share their bible journaling every day. It felt so precious…time spent with the Word of God is an eternal investment. You will never regret it.
• Share the love. You can do it as a Sunday school or church activity. A table full of paint, glitter, and stickers, and printouts of Bible verses. They will surely enjoy and continue doing it at home.

Let us learn the Word of God more and instill the same desire in our children. The world today needs people who know and do the Word of God, who live and breathe the Word of God, who are wholly, fully committed to Him.

“Children are the living messages we send to a time we may not see." – John F Kennedy

“If we do not teach our children who God is, someone will teach them everything that He is not.”

“If you fill the mind of your children with the Word of God, there will be no room in it for Satan’s lies.”