Armour against anxiety

THE BAD DREAM by Nicola Fairburn
ISBN 978 1 912 373 741
TELL GOD HOW YOU FEEL by Christina Fox
ISBN 978 1 527 106 161
WHY DO I FEEL LIKE THIS? by Rachel Lane
ISBN 978 1 527 106 178

Mental health, anxiety, emotional well-being – we’ve heard a lot about these since the beginning of the pandemic.

When it is reported that over half of all mental health cases start before the age of 14, then as a church we need to teach our children what to do and who to turn to with their ugly emotions and other scars.

For the young child in your life, night-time can be alarming. Books like The Bad Dream by Nicola Fairburn combine strong Bible truths with an engaging narrative. Colourful illustrations (by Ruth Hearson) and its short length make it the perfect bedtime story. A lovely little pillow to rest on before sleep.

Christina Fox’s book – Tell God How You Feel: Helping Kids with Hard Emotions takes young children to Scripture to help them deal with anxiety, fear and rejection. I love how she focuses on the Psalms. It’s refreshing to see these Scriptures being used with children. Too often kids’ Bible material shies away from the poetry of God’s word. But here the author uses engaging narrative and characters as a backdrop to key Scripture passages specifically written for hard times and wounded hearts. The illustrations combine some interesting angles and perspectives as well as a good range of physical diversity in bodies, colours and abilities.

Why Do I Feel Like This? is written by Rachel Lane – and pitched more towards teenagers who are going through depression and anxiety. Again her focus on the Psalms is the perfect choice of Scripture to apply to life’s struggles. Rachel knows what it was like to be a teen in the middle of depression and shares her own experiences while pointing to the God who wants to walk with you through it.

The best book to read

The best thing, though, to read to your child during a time of anxiety is the Bible itself. Open it up at that passage that has always comforted you. Tell your child about that difficult time and how God helped. Pray together. Don’t be afraid to use Scripture simply as Scripture – it doesn’t always have to have a picture alongside it. Your life and your voice may be all the illustration required. The stories of Daniel, Jeremiah, David and Miriam all show believers with flaws and anxieties and the powerful and merciful God who helps in the darkest times.

So perhaps the best preparation you can give to arm your child against the world, its fears and anxieties, is a portable stock of Scripture verses – and for that there are plenty of options, such as: My ABC Bible Verses by Susan Hunt (ISBN 978 1 581 340 051); My First Book of Memory Verses by Carine Mackenzie (ISBN 978 1 857 927 832) and one of the most novel ways of doing Scripture as a family – Devotional Dippers by Andrew Sweasey (ISBN 955 7 321 137 898). Getting the Bible into the hearts and minds of your family means that God’s word will go with them, wherever they are.