How Kids Inspire My Writing

Someone asked how much children inspire my writing. Here’s my answer:

My children were not just the inspiration but also the catalyst for my first published work. I wanted to honor God as a mom, but also as the senior pastor's wife, and women's teacher in our Theological Institute in France, I felt responsible to study biblical parenting—particularly in light of the atheistic and pessimistic French culture producing many unhappy parents and kids. While I knew God wanted me to be Spirit-filled and parent according to biblical principals and higher love, I also sensed He wanted me to encourage fellow parents in the journey. He was calling me to be a conduit to pour out to others - albeit a sinner saved by grace and a mom learning to parent. So, I did things back-to-front and published my first book in France before I'd written much else (just a few booklets and newsletters, but that's all).

That book is entitled, Mon Dieu, ces enfants! published by Editions Vida. It now exists in a different format in English as a book & workbook in one—fabulous for individual or group study:
Heaven Help Me Raise These Children!-- Biblical Direction for Practical Parenting Issues. Order at www.Carepointministry.com (Click on PARENTING).

That was 12 years ago. And although I write on many subjects today, my now-grown children still inspire me. But, equally inspiring are the orphans and suffering children I work with. Their stories are compelling and need to be
told. Their daily struggles, their dreams, their brokenness, their compassion, their unique personalities, their sense of justice because of the injustice they’ve seen—those things motivate my writing. They enthuse me with passion so much so that even when my writing is not directly related to them, it often provides a tool to publicize their needs by allowing me to put my website in the bio line: www.orphansfirst.org

I wonder how much I'd be writing if it weren't for the children. But then again, we’re all children in our Lord’s eyes. So, I guess for as long as there are people, I’ll be writing. (I do love animals, but they don’t read a whole lot…)

Janey L. DeMeo©October 2007
Founder/director of Orphans First - www.orphansfirst.org
www.JaneyDeMeo.com