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In early December my Christmas barrel came in.  Part of my treasures in that box were new books for children to read that would be used in my reading help program.  Over the Christmas break I took one of the very basic books (a version of chicken little) and read it to some children for fun.

One of the girls who I’ll call Sharon (not her real name) got REALLY excited.

Not because she loved the story….

but because she could read the book!!

Many children in Barrouallie struggle with reading, this is why the Lord is led me to start a reading help program.  Most of the time this doesn’t have to do with their intelligence level or reading skill, but CONFIDENCE when it comes to reading.  Because it’s a struggle for them, they don’t want to do it.  Lots of them will read barely above  a whisper so that if they say a word wrong, nobody will know.

Sharon is in the sixth grade, but reading for her is kind of a struggle.  She fits into the group of children who lack confidence in reading.

Which is why she loved the chicken little book.

I was holding up the book and reading upside down so the kids can see the pictures (its an acquired skill) but Sharon kept interrupting me by reading the words, and finally started reading along.  When we finished, she asked if I would let her take the book home (I got it back the next day).

Here’s the thing…..

that book was WAY below Sharon’s reading level!

In the sixth grade she should be reading chapter books instead of “little golden classics.”  But I let Sharon excitedly take the book home, because growth takes time.

Learning to read in many cases isn’t something that happens overnight.  Instead, it is a slow process where the child continues to gain confidence in reading.  This means they may start with something very basic like chicken little.  But as their confidence in reading grows, they will eventually move on to more difficult books.

In other words, growth comes slowly.

This can be applied to spiritual matters as well.  We cannot expect those who are weak in the faith or struggling with a particular sin to completely conquer it overnight.  God does work this way sometimes for His glory, but usually it’s a slow process of winning one battle at a time.  They start small and then build themselves up.

I look forward to the day that Sharon reads harder books with my help.

But her favorite book will probably always be Chicken Little.