7 Quotes by Catherine Stonehouse

What is spiritual formation? The goal of spiritual formation is a maturing faith and a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ, through which we become more like Christ in the living of our everyday lives in the world.

Adults must never discourage a child who desires to respond to God. When children know that God invites them to come and they are ready for a response, they do not need severe external pressure. They simply need a setting for response and possibly an adult to guide them, pray with them, and affirm their encounter with God.

Stories, drama, and other symbols powerfully influence children.

To be a good parent or a good Sunday school teacher of children, we do not need to be people who have arrived; God simply calls us to be on the way, seeking, finding, and rejoicing in what we find.

Biblical stories play an important role in the elementary child’s search for answers. Coles found that children relate the experiences of biblical characters to the events of their own lives. As children think about these stories, they see themselves in the characters and see God working and relating to those biblical people. Certain stories grab children, inspire their imagination, and draw them to reflect on life, meaning, and God.

As Jean Piaget studied children, he discovered that they were moral philosophers who struggled with good and evil, understanding and applying rules.

We want our children to obey God because they do not want to cause grief to the one who loves them. As they become aware of their moral failures, we also want them to discover that their loving God forgives and wants to help children to do the right thing. The importance of the initial love relationship with God cannot be overemphasized; everything else in spiritual formation builds on it in the proper time.