A Sweet Treat to Help Kids Fight Envy
“Stop being impatient!” I say to my impatient children, in a very impatient way. It is 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday, but I’m not sure the time or day matters. Any day of the week at any hour, it is possible that my kids reflect a weaknesses that I’d like to point out in them but struggle to notice in myself. When I’m soft to the Holy Spirit, the irony descends upon me like sleep after a long day—like two siblings on a candy carousel.
In Lucy and the Saturday Surprise, Melissa B. Krueger provides a foundation to explore the problem of envy alongside our children.
The conflict of this story begins when Dad allows siblings Lucy and Lewis to choose any candy they’d like from the candy carousel at the grocery store, Lewis chooses a rainbow lollipop while Lucy chooses a piece of chocolate. The chocolate quickly disappears while Lewis’ lollipop lasts the whole day, and Lucy struggles to enjoy her treat. Envy slowly overcomes Lucy, compromising her attitude, actions, and relationship with her brother.
Anyone who has more than one child is no stranger to envy in their home. During a birthday party, one brother struggles to sing “Happy Birthday” to his sister, wishing he had the attention for the day. A Lego set arrives in the mail to the delight of the oldest and the consternation of the youngest, who wonders why she never gets anything fun for herself. At the expense of our sanity, we do all in our power to make all things equal, but all this is vanity and striving after wind. We correct, cajole, and pray for our kids—but how do we respond? How do we guide their hearts to deal with their sin and grow?
Krueger’s book is the perfect resource for parents struggling with this question. Focusing on the heart of envy, Lucy’s dad shows how to recognize envy in our hearts, how it skews the perception of what is right and wrong, and how it leads to deeper sin. Krueger’s strength is her step-by-step guide for kids on how to recognize and beware envy as it stirs in their hearts. This guide is especially helpful for elementary-aged children to realize the signs of envy in their hearts. Still, this resource—with its beautiful illustrations, engaging storyline, and sweet treats—will delight all ages, and helpfully provide a starting point to engage young hearts on the topic of envy.
As with any proper resource, Lucy and the Saturday Surprise is meant to start the heart-to-heart conversation, not finish it. At the end of the book is a “Note to Grown-Ups” that provides meat to the topic of envy and ways to further engage our kids. Through this resource, we can better serve our kids and help them apply the truths within the book.
If you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for books grounded in Scripture that speak to heart problems your kids face daily. This is one of those books. While it won’t solve the problem with envy, it will provide tools to fight against it. Alongside honest conversation, reflection, repentance, and prayer, this resource proves to be a useful tool in engaging our kids’ hearts on a pervasive yet taxing issue.
As parents, we may not envy our neighbor’s rainbow lollipops, but we probably envy other things. Through Krueger’s story, we can explore this topic alongside our kids as those who need God’s grace and forgiveness, too—just think of all the shared growth and gratitude in our homes as we do.
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- Review: Lucy and the Saturday Surprise - January 6, 2025
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