Truth Unchanging

I’m always scouring the earth (or internet bookstores, for the sake of accuracy) for good solid encouraging mom devotionals, and I’m always looking to add to my collection.

Recently, I found this gem.

Truth Unchanging by Becky Thompson. She had me at the title… I’m a firm supporter of unchanging truth…

For me, this book has been an open invitation to dive into scripture, and a GREAT reminder of truth in between the sandwich making, potty training, and homeschool lessons on long division. #helpmeJesus

At the top of each devotion she references a whole chapter to read in my Bible. I love that. I love to see the whole story, understand the whole context, and to see what God might have to say specifically to just me through that chapter.

And apparently, I like to highlight a lot of my Bible with the bright orange crayon inevitably left on the table from the last toddler colouring session.

I like that she then weaves that chapter from the Bible into a story from her own life.

Suddenly I feel as though she could be writing about my life too.

Suddenly words of God’s faithfulness are leaping off of the page at me.

And without a doubt one of my boys will always bounce by to see what I’m doing.

Instead of answering, “I’m just reading, give me a minute…” I just start reading out loud to them exactly what I’m in the middle of reading for myself.

Suddenly I’m speaking words of truth out loud.

Words like…

“You remember that part in the Bible story when God had just told Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and they were just coming to the Red Sea? That part where they were stuck between angry Egyptians who wanted to drag them back to a life of slavery, and a huge body of water… It looked totally impossible… but do you remember what happened?

Moses told the VERY frightened and panicked Israelites, “You need only to be still. The Lord himself will fight for you.”

Wait, what now?

And then God told them all to just, ‘Go forward.’

‘The Red Sea? Really?’ The Egyptians cried. ‘That’s where you’ve led us to?’ It was impossible. Obviously, the only option was to turn back.

Yet, God didn’t even see it as an obstacle.

‘I will make a path.’ God said.

‘I AM a path maker. And I especially love making paths in the very places where human eyes can’t even imagine a path. It turns out, that’s precisely my speciality.’

You know what? (I suddenly remembered) We sang a song when I was in Vacation Bible School a bazillion year ago…

(I start singing the little tune complete with accompanying actions.)

‘And through the sea, God made a path, that’s how they got across…’

We would sing it over and over again and then we’d roll right into a chorus of, ‘My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do.’

Now if God could defy science itself and simply make water become a wall on each side of the people passing through… then I am certain He could do it for us too. It wouldn’t likely look as dramatic, and it probably wouldn’t be a path through the sea because that’s not what we need; but it COULD be if that’s what he wanted, and that’s the point.”

Maybe it’s because it’s impossible that it actually qualifies for BEING possible.

“Cool huh?” I say to my son who is now patiently balancing on one foot before me.

With big eyes he stares back at me and then simply says, “Good sermon Mom…” Followed by a thumbs up, a click of the tongue, and a wink of his right eye. He then simply bounces off again to go play, content that he now indeed knows, “What mom is doing.”

Never underestimate the sheer gift of ‘5 minutes or less.’

In those brief moments I was able to speak words of unchanging truth into my heart.

I was able to speak words of unchanging truth into his ears, and hopefully into his heart too.

Friends, always get the book that makes you read your Bible more, and always keep that orange crayon in your pocket. I promise it’ll make you a better mama, even if for right now in this busy time of tending to little children, it’s just 5 minutes at a time.