Authors Eric and Meredith Schrotenboers’ catchy, rhyming verse, and illustrator Denise Hughes’s sprightly, cheerful artwork together express the beauty and comfort of the Aaronic Blessing found in Numbers 6:22-27, adapted so young children can better understand its meaning.
In a note to parents, the Schrotenboers write about the Aaronic Blessing: “These words were given to the priests by God, through Moses, and spoken over the people at the end of their religious services. They are promises of what God will do and a statement of God’s great love for the people.”
As a girl and boy leave home for the day, their parents speak the (adapted) Aaronic Blessing over them: “Today is the day the world gets to see / the beautiful person God made you to be. / Wherever you go, it’s God’s love you’re expressing, / so God sends you out with this special blessing. / May the Lord bless you with strength from above / and fill you with power to give and to love.” The parents go on to pray God’s protection, love, presence, and peace over their children.
The parents also encourage the girl and boy to see that they have a role to play in God’s world: “So God has a plan—it’s you that God sends / to share with the world that God’s love never ends. / So be kind to others, your sister and brother, / to show what God’s like ... / as we love one another. / May your life be ‘good news’ to all those you meet— / your family and neighbors and friends down the street. / These words are a gift of God’s love for you ... / May God bless and keep you in all that you do.”
Recommended as a worthy gift to celebrate the birth or baptism of a child, and also as an excellent addition to a family’s devotional library.
(Zonderkidz)
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.