Breaking Down Idioms
Children’s Guides to Idioms in the Bible
As a pediatrician, Dr. Nordell has had the pleasure of working closely with children and their families and learning how children develop. Every child grows differently, and she continues to be amazed at how wonderful and unique God has made everyone. As a mom, she has also watched her own children learn about life and God in contrasting ways, just as they are gifted to naturally excel at different things. While one child may grasp imaginative play and figures of speech naturally, her other child is a very intelligent but literal thinker. Thinking more literally is especially common for younger children and those on the autism spectrum.
Can you imagine how confusing it can be for a literal thinker – or even a young thinker in general – to interpret figures of speech? Why do we even use the expression, “It’s raining cats and dogs?” It rains water, not animals! These figures of speech are not only used in our everyday speech, but also throughout the Bible. Idioms, such as “He is my rock,” are more difficult to understand. Yet we use them constantly.
One day on their way to church, her family was listening to Bible songs. One song stood out: “The Word of the Lord will stand forever” from 1 Peter 1:24. Knowing how her children think differently, she asked her son, Isaiah, what he thought that meant. He could not explain it. He said it did not make sense, because a book cannot stand on feet. They talked through it, laughed about the ridiculousness of a standing Bible, and continued. Then Dr. Nordell thought how wonderful it would be for children like Isaiah to have a reference guide that explained such figures of speech in a way they could understand.
Initially intended to help her son and others with autism interpret these complex ideas, their first book was born. She and her son together wrote the first reference guide in 2019 called “How Can God Be a Rock?”. It breaks down ten commonly known verses containing idioms.
“From the Heart” is the second book in this series. This time, biblical idioms revolving around the heart are broken down in simple yet clever ways in both picture and in word, helping children understand the figurative meaning behind each verse.