Being a Mom – A Nigeria African Mom in Diaspora has me constantly thinking about how to help my child see that God made him with a different skin colour for a very good reason. Living in an environment where everyone is white, can have you thinking or wondering why you seem like the odd one out so ahead of those thoughts, I’m investing in Books that can help give my kids answers. I’m certain it will help you too if you’re like me looking for resources like this or you simply want to help your kids see that God made others different and they should be loved and respected!
God’s Very Good Idea – A True Story about Gods Delightfully Different Family by Trillia Newbell is a Biblically sound book that helps to answer this question.
God’s Very Good Idea helps children embrace their unique identity and also celebrates diversity. It emphasises the fact that God made us different and the same at the same time! If you’re looking for a book to help kids appreciate the different people around them, from a Biblical standpoint this would definitely help. For Parents in Diaspora, it will reiterate the fact that God made us different for a very good reason. It was part of his plan from the very beginning – his very good idea. “God’s very good idea is to have lots of different people enjoying loving him and loving each other” I particularly like the fact that the entire story is rooted in the Bible.
Here are excerpts from the Book
“We live in God’s World. We are all different but we are also all the same. Everyone you see is different than you and the same as you. They might look different or speak different or play different. But they are all made in God’s image and so they are all valuable.
.. God carried on creating people. Some were men. And some were women. And all of them were different too. Some liked reading. Some had dark skin. And some had light skin. Some liked riding bikes. Some had curly hair and some had straight hair…
The story takes off from the Garden of Eden and connects it with the arrival of Jesus and how he welcomes and embraces everyone regardless of the colour of their skin.
It will certainly help children see how people from all ethnic and social backgrounds are valuable to God and how Jesus came to rescue all kinds of people. It will also excite them about being part of church – God’s delightfully different family.
This is for children 5 to 10. It’s a bit lengthy so you may want to break up the book into sections and have conversations about it the themes with your kids. The Board book for toddlers as well as other activity books are also available- Click here
We hope you found this useful. Please pass it on to a Mom or another Parent who should see this. Follow us @inlushmeadowkids for more tips and resources to help you introduce God to your kids in a fun, colourful and exciting way. With Love, Morolake