Whoosh! Off flew the sheets. Pat, pat, pat, crack, creek, crack, my little feet scampered across the wood floor. With a bang my door flew open as I escaped into the hall and rounded the corner into my parent’s room. A flying leap and a burst of giggles and I was sitting on top of my mom, wiggling my head under the book she was reading to look her in the face. The book she was reading was her Bible. These are my first memories of morning devotions. When I crawled into bed with mom each morning, she would teach me lessons from the Bible, often while she was having her own devotions. Reading the Bible everyday was what my entire family always did, so for me, I started reading my Bible everyday because I was led by example.
The first time I can remember having my own personal devotions is when I was about seven or eight. I had a kids’ Bible that was in chronological order and meant to be read through in a year. I felt so grown up to read my Bible on my own, to pray by myself in my own thoughts. I read my Bible everyday because I honestly wanted to, and as a good little SDA girl it was the right thing to do anyway.
Now, however, I read for different reasons. I read because through the years of reading my Bible out of habit and ritual I have come to know a Savior who longs to have a personal relationship with me. When I wake up in the morning, the first voice I hear is His, calling me to spend time getting to know Him better. When I pick up my Bible and study its pages with an open mind, I can hear God’s voice speaking to me. The truths that I learn and the encouragement and guidance that I find there are so vital to my Christian experience, and even my life, that not reading my Bible isn’t an option. If I want to grow, if I even want to just hold my ground, Bible study must be a daily habit, and this is a truth that has been implanted in my heart and soul for as long as I remember. I read my Bible because it is a habit, an intentional habit full of purpose and meaning, one that I hope to keep for the rest of my life.
Ah, I can picture that little head pushing under the Bible, looking for attention. That their child also chooses to follow God is the best gift a Christian parent could receive.
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