As You Go....

This fall has been ridiculously busy for us.  Much more so than normal.  As a result, I am finding it tough to fit in all the things I want and, more importantly, need to do to feel like a mildly successful mom.  Sure, laundry gets done (maybe not put away right away), kids are fed (Apple Jacks are ok for dinner, right?), and the house is picked up (so thankful for whoever invented the Swiffer!), but what about the spiritual lives of the three charges God has given me?  The idea of any kind of structured or even regular devotion times with the boys seems daunting at best and, on most days, impossible. On one of my commutes from Samuel's school last week, however, God impressed on me the practicality of His Word when it comes to the busyness of daily life.  In Deuteronomy 6, God sums up the importance of all the laws and commandments He has just laid out for the children of Israel, "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD you God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. (NLT)" Then, He tells them how they are to impress this upon their kids.  v. 7-8 "Repeat them [the commands] again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again."  That's what got me.  The Word of God can be impressed wherever you are. Singing in the van, giving baths, playing outside, reading at night, and bedtime lullabies are just some of the ways and places I've had the opportunity to impart God's Word to my boys.   I'm not sure how it started, but my oldest two have "their" bedtime songs that must be sung before the bedtime ritual can be completed.  Samuel's is "I Love You, Lord" and Micah's is "Jesus, Name Above All Names."  For as tired as I am when I come to that part of the night,  nothing is better than hearing my two year old say the names of God as he falls asleep. God was so gracious and gentle to remind me that day in my van that I didn't need to make the time to cultivate their hearts, I just needed to take advantage of the time I was given already.  It's not a revolutionary thought, but it was one I needed as I went....