Her Quiet Time

First, thanks for all the congratulations!  Though this was a little unexpected, we are excited!  I have no doubt in my mind that this is a blessing from the Lord and that this pregnancy and this baby is in His hands.  We would certainly appreciate your prayers.

My heart has been blessed this week, not only because of the miraculous new life that is growing inside of me, but also because of the growth I have witnessed in my other three children.  I want to praise my Father for the blessing we have experienced with Ashlyn in particular this week.

The other night after bedtime prayers, Ashlyn informed me that praying and reading the Bible were very similar, but that when we pray we are talking to God and when we read the Bible God is talking to us.  I was blown away by her insight, although I knew that this is something that Jason had discussed with her.  I told her that I like to read the Bible in the mornings because it helps me to start my day off right.  She then asked me if I would wake her up early the next day so that she could read the Bible with me!  Of course I promised her that I would.

The next morning, I was up very early, so I waited until a reasonable hour to wake her up (it was still earlier than usual).  She woke up ready to go.  As we sat in "my" chair together, I started to select a Psalm for us to read.  That is until she told me she wanted to read her favorite Psalm, and "could we please read separately?"  (instead of aloud together).  So that's what we did.  I can't tell you how blessed I felt at that moment!

So, for three mornings in a row, Ashlyn has gotten up and read her Bible.  Because of the interest she has shown, I bought her a daily devotional book for kids (one where she looks up the Bible passage herself), and I showed her how to use it this morning.  We have had many conversations about God and I can tell that He is drawing her little heart.

I praise God for being so gracious and directing my child's heart, even when I feel like I make so many mistakes as a parent.  I have always prayed that God would turn my kids' hearts toward Him, and it blesses me beyond measure when I see that happening.  I know she is young, and she may not understand everything she reads right now.  I certainly don't feel like I have to give her a lecture on every passage she reads.  For now I am happy that she is (hopefully) developing a habit of spending time in the Word and eager to learn more about Jesus.