New book helps kids begin to understand temptation, sin and repentance
Part 1 of an
interview with Marty Machowski,
Author of Don’t Blame the Mud
At some point in every child’s life, they will
discover what guilt feels like after doing something they knew they weren’t
supposed to do. That is a positive thing—then they can begin to understand
temptation, sin and repentance. However, those can be big concepts for young
children to comprehend. Don’t Blame the Mud (New Growth Press), the new
release written by best-selling author Marty Machowski, helps parents and
children talk together about God’s plan for redemption.
For young readers and their families, Don’t Blame the Mud paints a vivid and
accurate picture of sin and God’s plan of redemption. This picture book, illustrated by Craig MacIntosh, teaches children how to recognize the lure
of temptation and the truth that bad choices lead to bad consequences.
Q: Where did
the idea for Don’t Blame the Mud come
from?
I was out at a local bookstore and saw a secular
children’s picture book about how to deal with a problem. The book was cute,
but I immediately wished it gave a gospel answer. I thought about how many
children have no idea how temptation and sin are at work to lead us down the
wrong path which, is our biggest problem.
When I got home, I jotted down a few thoughts that
ultimately became the book, Don’t Blame
the Mud.
Q: What is
the deeper message of the story?
The Bible talks about our need to be cleansed from
sin. Mud represents both the temptation to sin and the resulting bad
consequences of our sin. My hope is that kids will relate to the Mud character in
my book and better recognize temptation and sin in their own lives. Parents can
even bring a humorous warning when they see their kids struggling with temptation
by saying, “Watch out for the mud,” or warn them, “Don’t blame the Mud,” when
asking them to explain why they sinned.
The answer to the mud, of course, is the gospel.
The Bible uses the metaphor of us needing to be cleansed from our sin. Jesus
washed the feet of his disciples, and when Peter objected, Jesus said, “If I don’t
wash you, you have no part of me.” It wasn’t that Peter needed his feet cleaned—though
that was the immediate context. Peter needed his heart cleaned, and only the
blood of Jesus on the cross for Peter’s sin could wash his sin away.
Q: How is
the story of Don’t Blame the Mud
connected to the gospel message of the Bible?
The Bible uses dirt as one depiction of sin and
cleansing as a picture of the saving work of the cross. For instance, in
Ephesians 5, Paul exhorts husbands to wash their wives with the water of the
Word to be able to present them without stain as Christ is doing for the
church. When we are faithful to confess our sins, John tells us God is faithful
to forgive us and cleanse us from all sin.
Q: Did you
model your characters after real people? If so, who is Max?
Real-life experiences shape what I write. I
modeled Max after my own life growing up. I walked to school and loved to
explore. When other kids were hanging out at the pool, I was out catching
insects and frogs and exploring the outdoors on one of my little adventures.
When I wrote the story, I simply asked the question, “What would have tempted
me to take a chance on getting my school clothes dirty?”
As for the dad in the story, well, that’s me
again. My wife, Lois, and I have six children and have heard every excuse in
the book. We’ve also had to help our children understand the workings of sin in
the bad choices they’ve made.
In fewer than thirty pages, Max is tempted, sins,
is confronted, repents and becomes a Christian. These things can take years in
real life.
Learn
more at www.martymachowski.com.
He can also be found on Twitter
(@MartyMachowski).
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