Today was one of those hectic Mondays, but Sam and I managed to complete our readings. This morning I listened to the Daily Audio Bible because I was afraid I wasn't going to get the chance to sit down and read. I am really starting to enjoy listening to the Bible in the car it turns out. My three year old Cal is usually with me when I listen, and he seems to like it too. It is a very calming way to drive to school even if he isn't able to understand everything that is being said. I also got a chance to sit down tonight and re-read my passages and take some notes which was nice. I can't quit thinking about two verses in Matthew which I read. The first, Matthew 6:8 instructs us not to pray outloud in order to make ourselves seem holy and righteous to others, "for your Father knows what you need before you ask him". I've always found this verse comforting. The thought that God knows what we need before we do just really takes a load off. We don't have to figure out next steps all on our own, we can just rest in God, be with him in prayer and put one foot in front of the other knowing that everything is going to be okay even if it isn't going to be comfortable all the time.
The second verse that I keep coming back to is Matthew 6:14, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Whoa! That is not something I usually go around thinking. I never realized there was some reciprocity here. All the more reason to work on forgiveness. We all have someone we probably need to forgive right this instant! I think saying you forgive somone is so different from actually feeling forgiveness in your heart. For me, the hard part, is wiping the slate clean for our friends when they do something that hurts us.
Remember last week when I was worrying that these nightly readings would become a chore for Sam and that he may start to reject them? Not to worry! Tonight, Sam got in a little trouble before bedtime. When he was in the bath he looked up at me with puppy dog eyes and said, "can I still read the Bible with you Mommy?" I am not kidding you, he really said that! Of course, we did the readings together, and I supplemented our daily reading with a healthy dose of "honor your father and mother" (the jury is still out on whether or not this worked). The audio files are now posted for today and yesterday. I am so happy and thankful that Sam is looking forward to these moments each night. Come to think of it, though I did ask God to bless this endeavor in my prayers, I didn't specifically ask him to make these readings enjoyable for Sam. I guess, it is true that He knows what we need even before we ask!
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