Stonehouse wrote the book with the intention of helping people to listen and learn from children (11). It also has components that describe how children experience God and the role that families and churches play in the formation of children's faith. In the first chapter, Stonehouse compares how Jesus viewed children and how the children culture was at the time. In the period, she states that children were sidelined and they lived in the edges of the society but Jesus welcomed them and said they were models of greatness (Stonehouse 1998, p.17). This then raises the important question of whether we listen to the children and their reflections or we just blush them off. In this the author urges the adults who deal with children to listen to them and watch God's grace over their lives as they may be used to communicate important messages by God.
Stonehouse also concluded that the feeling that God is intuitive as most children use light to understand God's transcendence (Stonehouse 1998, p.17) (23). Children begin connecting with God early in life and they are most times guided by the Holy Spirit each in a unique way. As children from their analysis and conception of God at an early age, it is important for adults to provide the necessary materials and tools that would help complete the picture for the kids. The adults play important roles while they play with kids, discipline them, and even share their understanding of who God is. Allowing them to meet God via biblical stories is also advocated for and also encouraging kids to spend time in listening to God.
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Parents have a vital role to play in the development of children's understanding of who God is. Case in point, in homes where the name of God is constantly mentioned in natural and frequent basis via prayers and songs, the kids are more aware of God and they think spiritually. (Stonehouse 44). Churches also play vital role in helping kids meet God as they conduct congregational worship. Kids in the book also state that they feel God's love whenever they sit as a family and worship God. Moreover, kids understand God more clearly, when they read the scriptures when they have already experienced him in their churches and families. The scripture should be taught to them with God being the main character, as it helps them to grasp the meaning and being of God (Stonehouse 1998,p. 84, 86). It is true that only the Holy Spirit can teach the kids about God and convict them to believe, but the adults must play the active role of presenting the right information to the kids. Furthermore, she cites adult reflections of their childhood walk with God.
Moreover, the study teaches about Piaget's four stages of child's cognitive development. The first stage is the sensorimotor practical intelligence, and it occurs between birth to 2 years. The second is preoperational intelligence between 2 years and 8 years (Stonehouse 1998, pp.72). Concrete intellectual operations occur between 8 years and 12 years while the last stage is the formal operations between eleven to twelve years. According to Piaget, the achievement in each stage determines the foundation of the other stage
Some kids in the study remembered the moments when they gave their lives to Jesus and began walking with God from an early time. Some said that if they had someone to nurture their faith, they would have grown significantly in their adulthoods. More than that, the study underscores the importance of realizing that there are many different faith experiences among believers as people grow and respond differently to faith issues (Stonehouse, 1998,101). In conclusion, parents and adults are advised to play a pivotal point in the formation of their children's faith as this helps them to grow as strong and firm Christians.
References
Stonehouse, C. (1998). Joining Children on the Spiritual Journey: Nurturing a Life of Faith . Grand Rapids: Baker Pub. Group.
