This story was created to help children recognise anxious thoughts and develop a connection with the Great King of Glory so that they can confidently move from “What if?” to “Even if.”
The question of suffering is an easy question to sidestep due to its complexity and nuance, but children seem to have a remarkable sense of truth. They seem to instinctively know that challenging things can, and might, happen.
With my four-year-old’s endless stream of “what-ifs”, I was prompted to take her through a simple practice: picture the fear, place it in a box, hand it to the Great King, Jesus, and then ask Him what He has to say in return.
The first time she tried this, she closed her eyes, mouthed her question, and we waited. When I asked what He had said, she smiled and replied, “He gave me a letter and a flower.”
I nearly jumped off my seat. “What did the letter say?” I asked.
“He loves me. I don’t have to be afraid.” How simple and how profound. Nothing is greater than Love.
We can promise our children that the King of Glory, Love Himself, does not look down from a distance feeling sorry for His creation. Instead, He chose to become well acquainted with suffering as a “man of sorrows”. We can believe the Great King when He says He will never leave us. We can trust that He not only knows how, but desires to guide us through.
Yet the focus is never only to overcome fear and get through suffering; it should go beyond that into fulfilment.
The Great King has designed each child with a unique purpose. Regardless of their circumstances, regardless of AI, our children were created with a calling and no one, or no “thing” can prevent that calling from materialising except themselves. Will they learn the voice of fear, or will they learn the voice of the Great King?
The world wants us to “play it safe” but we will miss our purpose doing so. Instead, my hope is that my children, and yours too, will learn to hear the Great King Jesus and “launch out into the deep…”
As you listen together, you may wish to pause occasionally and ask your child what Frankie is feeling, thinking, or learning. May this book open up conversations with your children that help them hold onto quiet confidence — knowing that even when hard times come:
They’re never alone, Love is stronger, He knows how to make things right, and they are made for great things (much greater than any current circumstance).
Happy journeying with the Great King.
Who is
The King?
He is Love. Love looks like the King who chose to give up His throne for His people, who came to the world He created as a humble baby, born among animals in a cave, not a palace, so that one day He could give up His very Life for them. He didn’t choose a death that looked heroic to His people; in fact, it was a humiliating death. But it didn’t end there. He rose from the dead, and now reigns as the Great King over all.
Those who choose to trust Him and make Him their King get to reign as royalty with Him. His name is King Jesus, and He is Wonderful. If you’ve ever read 1 Corinthians 13, read it again. It reminds us of how God defines love. You’ll notice that religion defines it another way. Begin at verse 1.
