Shepherding a Child's Heart

Part 2
Shepherding
Through the Stages of Childhood

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Chapter 14
Infancy to Childhood: Training Objectives
Howard’s son suffered brain damage during infancy. Howard was
unsure how much his son could understand. Despite his son’s retarded
brain development, he talked to him about the ways of God. At three
and a half, the boy still could not speak. The parents continued to talk
to him of God, pray with him, and sought to shepherd him biblically.
One day, the lad required correction and discipline. Howard was
perplexed as he tried to explain, not knowing how much his son could
grasp. As he grew more frustrated with the communication process,
his son intervened. He spoke! His first words were, “Pray, Daddy!”
This young child, compromised by brain damage, had been
understanding valuable lessons all along. He knew of his father’s faith
in God. He knew that one turns to God when troubled. He knew that
God could help his daddy communicate. What an illustration of the
importance of these early years!
Primary Characteristic—Change
The first stage of development, infancy to childhood, encompasses
the period from birth to age four or five. This period can be described
in a single word—change. With every stage of development, the child
astounds his parents with dramatic change.
Physical Change
Think of the physical changes. The new infant is immobile. He
can’t lift his head. He can’t roll over. He can’t sit. Yet powerful
forces are at work in him. In several months he is sitting, standing,

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toddling, and even walking. He learns to run, hop on one foot, climb
trees; to do things you are too decrepit to do anymore.
He develops his capacity to manipulate objects. Soon he can turn
doorknobs and release catches. He learns to feed himself. There is no
period of life in which physical change is so dramatic.
Social Change
Social change is just as radical. The first social relationship is
with his mother. Soon, the circle of familiar people widens to include
other family members. He learns his own style of relating to others.
He learns what endears him to others. He learns how to seek approval
in his ever-widening world of social relationships. By four or five, he
will have friends of his own.