Book Corner: Shepherding a Child's Heart

Book Corner: Shepherding a Child's Heart

By Ted Tripp

What kind of read is it?

This is a parenting book from a biblical perspective.  It reads quickly and easily because the chapters are organized and simple.  

What insights did I gain from this book?

That will take me a while to fully process.  The framework of the book is that as parents you want to pursue the heart of your children, and not just raising them to behave well.  Here are a few of the quotes I highlighted from different places in the book:

• Freedom is not found in autonomy, it is found in obedience.  (page 27)
• You and your child are in the same boat.  You are both under God's authority.  You have differing roles, but the same Master.  (page 29)
• From their earliest days, they must be taught that they are creatures made in the image of God --made for God.  They must learn that they will only "find themselves" as they find him. (page 46)
• You should show them repentance.  Acknowledge your joys and fears and how you find comfort in God. ... Be prepared to seek forgiveness for sinning against your children. (page 91)
• The truth is, if parents are consistent with discipline, they will find quickly that the child responds and the necessity for discipline decreases. ... authority can be settled early in childhood. (page 154)
• There may be days in which nothing much gets done because of the demands of consistent discipline. But, faithfulness will yield a good harvest. (page 154)
• You do not need to be perfect; you simply need to be people of integrity who are living life in the rich, robust truth of the Word of God. (page 192)

What did the author do well?

Tripp's argument that the Bible is the best resource in parenting children is very well thought out and persuasive.

What is lacking in writing style or story?

Nothing comes to mind.  It has helpful illustrations, which is often a weakness in an informational/spiritual book - but not so in this case.

What will I remember most about this book?

Well, this book could be mined for truths in many different stages of parenting, but since we're new to the game around here I hope to remember most the goals for training really young ones.  Tripp says the first thing to focus on is teaching authority of mom and dad.  He defines obedience as doing what he is told: without challenge, without excuse, and without delay.  I hope to keep fresh the insights offered in this section of the book, as the next few years will be full of opportunities to practice being consistent in teaching my child about authority, and ultimately helping him or her understand God's authority over our lives.