Deuteronomy 6:7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise.
Swimming at the lake….$12. Ice cream cones…..$3.95. Bowling…..$3. Mini-golf…$1.50. Hot dogs and lemonade…$1.50. Uno, Phase 10, Veggie Tales, Princess Bride and tractor rides…free. Night-time devotions….priceless.
“Grandma, you have succeeded in pampering your grandchildren this week,” said my 8-year-old grandson. He and his 6-year-old brother were coming off their yearly visit to Grandpa and Grandma’s. It’s fun, exhausting, and memory-making. But out of all the activities of the day, tucking them in at night has become, for Chip me, the most precious.
Right before bed, we read Little Visits with God, a children’s devotional we had used many years ago with our daughter. It stimulated good conversations from the Bible and led us into a time of prayer and thankfulness. The whole day seemed to gain perspective through our little nightly visits.
Scripture encourages us to teach our children about the commands of the Lord. Talk about them when we sit, walk, lie down and get up. The word of God provides an anchor for all our comings and goings. Special time devoted to scripture and prayer gives kids the foundation for how to live. So when an argument erupts over who ate the last cinnamon roll, we talk about how God gives us courage to admit when we’re wrong and humility to receive when we’re right.
But as you know, the value of “little visits with God” extends to us big people as well. In my years as a believer, nothing compares to spending time each day in scripture and prayer. Someone recently remarked that every time we read the Word, we should ask, what does this passage show me about God? Even those lists of genealogies reveal aspects of God if we’re looking! It’s a good approach if we long to know him better.
I pray my grandsons grow to love God and cherish every “little visit” with him. And I pray, you too, cultivate those little visits in your own life. God wants you to know about him, and even more vital, he wants you to know him.
Happy visiting!