However, one of those "resolutions" was to learn more about God's Word as a family. Mainly with the purpose of teaching our son the importance of knowing what our Lord has said and equipping him with the best tool we can give him to live out his life now and as he grows into the man we pray he will be.
In January I picked 1 Peter 5:7 and this month we picked Philippians 4:13.
Both verses were picked on the easiness of vocabulary and the verse length (after all he is only 2). Though we wanted a challenge, we don't want to make it impossible for him to memorize!
So we practice our verses every night and sometimes randomly during the day... And he has done very well! He knows both of them. Sometimes he skips a word or two and some of the words he actually does say are hard to understand! Ether way, he is learning his verses, which makes me very happy (and proud)!
Even though I put very little thought into the meaning behind the verses we were going to memorize, God has definitely been using them to speak to me almost daily!
You see, worry is one of those not-so-nice attitudes that I just can't seem to shake. I worry about EVERYTHING! I struggle so much with it that I have had sleepless nights over the smallest issues. Worry sometimes seems to paralyze me!
For the past month and a half, my worry has been over our daughter, our son, our family, and this pregnancy... Is she well? Will she be ok? How will Bug react to his sister? Am I doing enough to include him and love on him before she arrives? How on earth will I keep them both feeling safe, equally loved, equally appreciated?
In the past two weeks the worry has continuously been over the rest of the pregnancy... and hoping everything will be ok. Since I've had a not-so-easy time lately with the pregnancy, I'm worried about all the things that need to be accomplished before the baby arrives. My list seems to grow and practically nothing seems to be crossed out.
I've commented to Jared that I feel that the task list is just too much for my body to handle. Small jobs sometimes make me so tired or even sick...
So God has used my two year old. In the last week he has randomly stopped playing and turned to me and said both Bible verses to me. Of course, this makes me smile and I praise him for doing so well. But it has officially hit me - there is so much TRUTH in what my son keeps repeating to me.
You see, God does care about me and my worries, no matter how small they may be (1 Peter 5:7). He's got this pregnancy, both of our children, and the "to-do list" in His hands! Thank goodness! It is good to be reminded that He cares for me, enough to pay attention to the things that trouble me. It is also good to be reminded that the things that need to get done will get done. That even when I feel my body is not in tune with my mind (or my lists and my goals), God is bigger and He will give me the strength to do everything I need to get done.
I know this is a very literal application of both of these verses. However, they have come at a time I've needed them, reminding me that our God is bigger than the things I allow to take over my mind and heart (whether big or small). Also, that He will equip me with what I need to get tasks done, whether they are in our home or community... or if the task is bigger than every day things!
And they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”
Matthew 21:16 (ESV)
