Bible Phone

I was sitting in the office trying to type something.  Who knows what I was actually trying to write, or if it even got started.  But, I had my little daughter in the room with me.  I had brought a bucket of toys in for her to play with so that she would hopefully leave my books alone.  In true toddler fashion, that did not happen. She ended up yanking down two small new testaments that were on the lower shelf she could reach. 

"Book" Dottie said.  "Yes, that's a book."  My reply was short and frustrated.  I wanted to get through what I was doing without taking five thousand breaks to keep her from destroying things.  I don't know that I even looked that way the first time I answered.

"Book"

I actually took a second to look over and realized she had the little white new testament in her hands.  I replied, "Yes, that's a book about Jesus."

"Jesus."

No sooner could I get the word "yep" out of my mouth she had put it to her hear and said. "Shone" which is Dottie speak for a phone.  I laughed a little and said it wasn't a phone. 

"Shone, shone."  The whole time with it up to her ear.  So I said something that I thought was going to just be a little joke and then I would get back to what I was doing, but it stuck in my head and my heart.  I said,

"Are you calling Jesus?"

I laughed, but then I realized, if she was going to talk to Jesus then that's how she should be doing it.  The Bible is our phone to Jesus.  It's how we know what he thinks.  Now, when my Bible app sends me the verse of the day now, I think of it as getting a text message from God. 

That's what the Bible is.  It's our big text message from God.  And the great thing is, He always answers our texts.  You can always open that book and read his words.  You can always sit down with the Bible and have a conversation with God.  There is no one else in this world that is as reliable as God and his word. 

I want so badly to teach my daughter that the Bible is her safe place to go.  I want her to know that Jesus cares about her and tells her that in those pages.  But, I can't expect her to know that I believe that if I'm constantly seeking validation and comfort everywhere else.

I have noticed when I worry, I don't pick up my Bible, I pick up my phone.  I text my husband.  I text my friends. I text my mama.  I used to journal a lot more than I do now.  I miss that time because that was my texting conversation with God.  When I was worried.  When I was afraid.  When I was anxious or happy or sad, I wrote it down for God to see and then I read my Bible and listened for His response. 

Matthew 6:33 says to seek first God's kingdom and then all these things will be added unto us.  We seek his kingdom by picking up our Bibles.  We have to read his words.  We have to love that conversation so much that we memorize what he said.  It's like when you start a new relationship or are in a pretty good old one, and you get those sweet text messages that you read so many times you see them in your sleep.  That's the kind of impression God's words should make on us.  We should be writing them on our hearts.  We should be picking up our Bibles and talking to our Daddy God and letting him show us how special we are to him and guiding our steps. 

I want to teach my daughter so many things.  I thought that's what motherhood would be.  I had no idea she would teach me more.  I want to follow Dottie's example.  I want to pick up my Bible and say, "Hello." to God.  I pray that as we meet with God through his word this week that we would hear His Holy Spirit speaking to us.