FocusOnTheFamily

Sparking faith

Written by Nancy I. Sanders and Michele Castillo

I was amazed at how 20-month-old Kyla connected with God’s Word. She loved to hear the stories in her toddler Bible, so I read it to her as often as I could. I had no idea how important my actions were.

As my husband and I prepared to leave on the “honeymoon” we had never had, we took Kyla to her grandparents’ house. Mom suffers from fibromyalgia and also had surgery on her shoulder two weeks prior, but with Dad’s help, she was sure they could handle watching a toddler.

After a flurry of goodbyes and last-minute instructions, we left for the airport. My husband and I were excited to be together, but we also missed our little girl. After a couple of days, we called home.

“Hi, Mom,” I said over the phone. “How’s Kyla?”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Mom handed her the phone.

When I heard Kyla’s happy voice – single words and phrases said in a way that only the mother of a 20-month-old would understand – I knew she was fine.

Mom came back on the phone.

“How are you feeling today?” I asked.

“I’m doing great,” Mom said. “Kyla said her first sentence! We were eating, and her bib slipped off. Suddenly she announced, ‘Kyla’s bib fell down.’ ”

I smiled at the unexpected joy I heard in Mom’s voice but hoped my toddler wouldn’t be too much of a strain on her. Mom assured me that my fears were unfounded. She explained their routine. Dad woke up the same time as Kyla, gave her breakfast and dressed her. Then Mom read books to her and rested with her at nap-time.

“Kyla’s favourite book is her Bible,” Mom said. “And we haven’t even turned on the TV yet. She wants to hear music all day long. We’ve had praise music filling our house almost the entire time.”

After hanging up the phone, I realized the time I took to read Kyla’s Bible to her had resulted in an unexpected blessing as she now was asking my parents to read it to her, too. What Kyla had already learned about God, even in simple ways, was now being shared with her grandparents.

By the end of our vacation, we were glad to see Kyla again. Once home, our lives settled into a familiar routine, and it felt as if she had never been separated from us.

One day, my dad stopped by for a quick visit. When Kyla saw him, I was surprised she didn’t run to give him a kiss. Instead, she turned around and gave me a kiss goodbye. She was ready to visit Grandma and Grandpa again.

Toddlers can be a witness

Your influence in your children’s lives leads to opportunities to show God’s love to family and friends.

• Sing praise songs with your children to give them a love of worship.
• Commit to reading the Bible to spark a love for God’s Word.
• Participate in their games and activities to help them develop joyful hearts.

From Focus on Your Child’s Early Stages, October 2007. Published by Focus on the Family*. © 2007 Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission. *U.S.A.