Is it hard for you to find a few minutes in the day to nourish yourself in God’s Word? If you have young children, you probably can’t even hide in the bathroom to read a few verses, because who says you get to go to the bathroom by yourself when you have little ones?
Getting up earlier than everyone else never seems to work out all that well either. Somehow they know that you’re up and that you need their company.
When our guys were little, I sometimes managed the get-up-earlier-than-they-do approach. When that didn’t work, I figured God was wanting me to use the disciple-them approach. What better way for our children to understand how important God’s Word is to us than to see us studying it — and to join us while we study?
My college art-major days had left me with a drawer full of lovely colored pencils. I started using them to mark different words in the Bible as I read. I also used a fine-point pen to draw simple little pictures that related to what I was reading. I drew these in the margins of my Bible.
The kids were fascinated with what I was doing.
One or two would sit at my side, watching, questioning, asking to help.
They were delighted when I would let them highlight a word for me. Or better yet, how about helping color one of my little drawings?
Ones who could read helped me look for specific words to highlight in the text, and those I really trusted even drew tiny pictures in the margin for me once in awhile.
Did I have a “quiet time”?
No.
But I did have children who were excited about the Bible! I had the opportunity to talk to them about what I was reading and to answer their questions. They had the chance to see me taking time in my busy day to read God’s Word.
So, tell me. What’s more important — a quiet time or a not-so-quiet time while God lovingly draws my kids into His Word?
What’s better — not reading my Bible at all because I can’t do it alone, or reading what I can with my children at my side?
God speaks to us through His Word. If we can’t find a time to read the Bible alone, then it might be time to invest in some colored pencils. 🙂
P. S. By the way, stay tuned! We start our next 30-Day study in just 28 more days! 5 minutes a day in Philippians 2 for you, and plenty of ideas for doing the study with your kids!)
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