I am three days shy of finishing a reading plan in the YouVersion Bible app I have on my phone.
I only recently discovered the plethora of plans available!
The one I’m working my way through is The Battlefield of the Mind devotional.
It sounds like powerful stuff, doesn’t it?
The truths, while basic, do pack a punch, let me tell you.
Yesterday’s reading was especially convicting. It had to do with meditating on God’s Word rather than merely reading it.
I’m not good at this kind of stuff.
I am a product-oriented girl who thrills at the sight of each task completed. Only lately, as I’ve aged matured have I begun to see the value of the process.
That is what meditation is about.
It is not simply reading for reading’s sake.
Meditation involves really thinking about the message that exists between the lines.
I’ve been a Christian since I was eighteen years old. How often I’ve heard the mandate to “meditate on God’s Word.” Yet somehow, that directive hasn’t always pierced my heart.
I wonder if this recent awareness is due to the profession I’m in.
As a reading teacher, I model how to pause and reflect. I teach my students how to ask questions and seek out answers that go beyond what lies on the surface.
I poke and I prod, lovingly of course, to help my students stretch themselves beyond what they think they are capable of.
The satisfaction lies in watching them experience “aha” moments of illumination.
I wonder if this is what it’s like for my Heavenly Father.
However, as I’ve also learned from teaching, a person cannot be taught unless he/she is willing to do the hard work necessary to grow. A student won’t bother going the extra mile if a relationship hasn’t been firmly established upon a solid foundation of trust.
Do I trust the Lord to mold me into the person He knows I’m capable of becoming?
Much like becoming a good reader, this involves methodical study and reflection.
As I tell my students, reading isn’t something that happens to you. It requires action on their part.
Such is the case with growing closer to God.
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