Moses admonishes God’s people in Deuteronomy 6:5-7 to love their God and to express that love through the diligent and regular teaching of their children within the daily routines of life. Sarah Reju’s God Is Better Than Princesses (and its companion, God is Better Than Trucks) shows us an example of this kind of teaching. The book is a reminder to us that everyday life together (children playing with toys under our feet) can become an occasion for commending Christ.
At its surface, Reju’s book is a beautifully illustrated alphabet primer (I love the pictures of princesses of various ethnicities!). At its core, it’s a Scripture memory book that helps parents to exalt a preeminent God. Her simple picture book embodies the wisdom of Moses: “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7).
Please join me as I speak with author, Sarah Reju. I pray that you are encouraged by her helpful words.
Nana Dolce: Sarah, thank you so much for your time today! My girls have enjoyed your book and I’m excited to chat with you about it. First, would you mind sharing a little about yourself? Who are you? Where do you live? What do you do?
Sarah Reju: Hi Nana! Thank you for your interest. First and foremost, I’m a follower of Jesus. I get to live that out as a pastor’s wife and homeschooling mom of five wonderful kids—three girls and two boys. I live with my family in Washington, DC.
ND: Thank you! Sarah, why did you write this book and how can it serve families?
SR: I have noticed that even the youngest children are tempted to want to serve and worship created things rather than the Creator. I wrote God is Better than Princesses to help remind little ones who love princesses to turn away from those idols and instead worship God, who is the best of all. I wrote the book in the A-Z format to show that God is the greatest, and he rules over all of creation, from beginning to end.
NA: God Is Better Than Princesses (along with its companion book, God Is Better Than Trucks) is an A-Z alphabet primer, as mentioned. Sarah, writing an ABC book that exalts God and offers Bible memory verses suggests that very young kids can learn the Scriptures. Is there a right age to introduce the truths of the Bible and/or Scripture memorization to children?
SR: The earlier the better! We’ve been amazed at how even our youngest children have been able to begin memorizing verses and learning big truths about God. Our goal is to pack in the truth when they are young and able to learn and memorize easily, and we pray God will unpack it as they grow and are able to understand more.
ND: Fairy tales and princesses are fun and many young children—including my own girls—enjoy watching, reading about, and playing with princess toys. Why compare and contrast God with something as common and seemingly harmless as princesses?
SR: Jesus is Lord over all of creation, even the princess stories and toys we enjoy. We should receive those things as good gifts from a good and loving God. At the same time, those good gifts should point us back to God to worship and serve him. Our culture would have us worship and serve the princess, and try to make our lives look more like the princess’ life. Jesus calls us to something so much better—loving and worshipping and serving him, so our lives come to look more and more like Jesus. So, my desire is that little ones learn to glorify God, even as they enjoy and play with his good gifts.
ND: You write this in the book: “A princess lacks nothing. Her life is full of beauty and comfort, but God made himself nothing by becoming a man. He suffered and died in our place. God is better than princesses!”
Connecting the gospel to a basic idea like princesses doesn’t come naturally for many. I think that your book gives us an example of gospel teaching within the routines of family life (Deuteronomy 6:5-7). If so, how can parents train their eyes and hearts to make good gospel connections from everyday things and moments with our kids?
SR: It doesn’t come naturally to me either! The best thing we can do as parents is to get to know Jesus better ourselves. The more we love him and walk with him through all the details of our lives, the more the gospel will be on our lips as we interact with our children. So, no matter how busy our lives as parents get, we should continue to prioritize time in God’s Word, in prayer, and at church. We can pray that God would make us more attuned to gospel opportunities as they arise. We can also plan ahead by thinking through the normal routines of life and considering how the gospel applies.
ND: Sarah, thank you for your time, work, and wise words! As we leave, can I ask you how God has used this book as a means of sanctification in your own heart? And what is your prayer for families, teachers, and kids as they read it?
SR: The process of writing the book made me slow down and think more carefully about the greatness of our God. He’s great in the big areas of life, and in all the smallest details too. Thinking more about God’s greatness grew my love for him and desire to see Him glorified in every area of our lives. My prayer is that anyone who reads the book would be led to worship and love our great God more!
Sarah Reju is a wife and homeschooling mom from Washington D.C.