Created in His Image

By Yvonne Olatunbosun

Why do we have children? The answer(s) may seem obvious, but have we ever really sat down and thought about the reasons we have children? Our answers reveal that we dont generally see how important or valuable children are to us as individuals and families or, more importantly, to God who creates every child for a purpose. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1: 5)

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And [that] my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, [And] skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When [as yet there were] none of them. (Psalm 139: 1316).

Our perception of children determines how we treat our children. World wide, stories abound of child trafficking, child abuse in various forms, children in areas of armed conflict, child labour, and so on, but what about children closer to homeour own children, our nieces and nephews, children of our friends and neighbours? Where ever or whoever we are, we interact with children so whilst this book is primarily for parents, it is for every adult who comes in to contact with children whether at home, work, school, or place of worship.

As a mother, I see parenting or looking after children as an honour and privilege and, whilst not easy, being a parent is one of the greatest blessings God has given us. If we look at parenthood through Gods eyes, we will see that we have the greatest opportunity to serve Him and establish His will and purposes on this earth. The lives of our children are more precious in Gods sight than we can ever imagine.

Throughout this book, I want to challenge us all to re-examine our views, attitudes and behaviour towards our children. We may give ourselves a pass mark but does what we see today in the lives of our children reflect Gods heart or are we ourselves truly happy with what we see in the lives of our children?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Dec 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9781469132051

Yvonne Olatunbosun

Yvonne Olatunbosun is a mother who firmly believes in the value of each child to God. She is deeply concerned and distressed by the way society treats children of all ages. She has a BSc in the Social Sciences and worked for a while as a residential social worker with children in the UK. She has lived in Ibadan, Nigeria since 1987 and works as a consultant editor. Her main activities are in her local assembly where she leads worship and teaches teenagers. Yvonne is married with three sons.

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 by Yvonne Olatunbosun.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011962004

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4691-3204-4

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4691-3203-7

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4691-3205-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

0-800-644-6988

www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk

[e-mail]

303225

Contents

Dedication

Foreword

1 Created In His Image

2 Approaches to Parenting

3 Child Abuse within the Home

4 Ingredients of Good Parenting

5 Conclusion

Appendices

Appendix 2

Dedication

To Almighty God, my Creator.

To Josephus McFarlane and the late Iris Monica McFarlane—my parents—who were always there for me.

Foreword

I enjoyed reading the book Created in His Image. Mrs. Olatunbosun is writing from a rich background of a Caribbean woman, brought up in a white environment in Britain and married to a Nigerian. I have personally interacted with the children and I have seen the wonderful deposit of sound parental influence in their lives.

We live in an age where parents have abandoned their God-ordained responsibility of bringing up their children. This little book, which you can finish within one hour, provides a source of guidance and inspiration in our God-given responsibility to our children. I recommend the book to parents who desire to bring up their children in the way of the Lord. May the reading bless your soul.

Rev. Akin Baiyeroju

New Covenant Church

Samonda, Ibadan

Nigeria

1

Created In His Image

Introduction

Why do we have children? The answer(s) may seem obvious, but have we ever really sat down and thought about the reasons we have children? Our answers reveal that we don’t generally see how important or valuable children are to us as individuals and families or, more importantly, to God who creates every child for a purpose. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1: 5)

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And [that] my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, [And] skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When [as yet there were] none of them. (Psalm 139: 13–16).

Our perception of children determines how we treat our children. World wide, stories abound of child trafficking, child abuse in various forms, children in areas of armed conflict, child labour, and so on, but what about children closer to home—our own children, our nieces and nephews, children of our friends and neighbours? Where ever or whoever we are, we interact with children so whilst this book is primarily for parents, it is for every adult who comes in to contact with children whether at home, work, school, or place of worship.

As a mother, I see parenting or looking after children as an honour and privilege and, whilst not easy, being a parent is one of the greatest blessings God has given us. If we look at parenthood through God’s eyes, we will see that we have the greatest opportunity to serve Him and establish His will and purposes on this earth. The lives of our children are more precious in God’s sight than we can ever imagine.

Throughout this book, I want to