Chewing

This is the typical bedtime routine at our house:
1. Help the girls put on their jammies.
2. Time to go potty and brush little teeth.
3. Mommy reads a bedtime story.
4. Daddy reads from our devotion book.
5. We pray together.
6. Snuggles and kisses, lights out.

This routine works super well! However, the Holy Spirit really convicted me the other morning about our devotion time with the girls. You see, our devotion book is designed for conversation. Each devotion includes open ended questions, a scripture, and cute poem about the topic of that day. We are all pretty tired in the evenings, and by the time we are ready for devotion and prayers, well... we don't usually have much conversation about God's Word. That's no excuse, but it is the truth.

Yesterday morning, as the girls were in and out of the kitchen during my quiet time, the Holy Spirit reminded of my dependency on God's Word every day. I need to read the Truth each morning and cling to it all day long. It was about that time that Wubs came to ask me for some tortilla chips. (Normally, I don't dish out chips at 9:30am, but I needed those chips for a little lesson! wink!) I got up from my seat, put down my Bible, and poured a few tortilla chips in a bowl. Then I asked Wubs and Bella to join me in their room.

"Wubs, what if I gave you those chips, but you had to just *gulp* them into your tummy? You had to put them in your mouth and *gulp* swallow them up?"
(Wubs and Bella giggled at my pretend gulps. )

"Wouldn't you enjoy those chips a lot more if you chewed them up? I know I like to -mmmmmm- chew my chips, and I like the crunch crunch crunch, and to taste the salt on them. Well, I was thinking this morning about our devotion book. Maybe we should read our devotion in the morning! Instead of *gulp* swallowing our devotion at night before bed, why don't we read it in the morning and enjoy God's word all day long? It will be just like -mmmmm- chewing those chips... we can chew on God's word all day! Would you girls like that?"

"Yeah! But can I still eat my chips?"

So for the last few days, we have been reading and discussing our devotion every morning. Then at night, we are able to discuss the ways we applied God's word throughout the day. (For example, yesterday's devotion was about gentleness and letting your gentleness be evident to all. The girls did their best to use gentle hands, give out hugs, and chose gentle words.) Wubs made me laugh though, because this morning, when it was devotion time, I called the girls to come join me in their room. Wubs said, "Are we going to go chew on our devotion now?"
David and I are praying every day for our girls, as they grow in their understanding of Jesus, His love, and His gift of salvation. And we pray that long after they have grown up and left our home, they will continue 'chewing'. wink.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."- Dueteronomy 6:5-7