In The Grimm Brothers story,
Hansel and Gretel, the children use pebbles as trail markers to find their way back home after their parents abandon them in the woods. They are successful with their clever method and return home. The mean step-mother locks them in the room, after finding they have gathered pebbles to use as their markers and demands they be taken deeper in the woods to be left to die the next day. Hansel and Gretel have no time to gather pebbles, so they take bread and crumble it along the path as they once again are taken to their fate. Unfortunately, the crumbs are eaten by the birds and they loose their way.
Last night my daughter and I were discussing why we read the word of God especially when there are times we feel nothing, don't always relate or have a full understanding of the text, history and meaning. Sometimes life feels rote and mundane. Habits can seem ordinary and mirror our life but that shouldn't stop us from hiding God's word away in our heart.
Sometimes God wants to teach us to persevere through the hard times when everything that we do seems unfulfilling, other times He hides because He wants us to trust Him and not lean on our own strength, to be weak so He can be the only Light guiding us through those times in life when it all seems topsy turvy.
In order to let God actively control our lives we have to have an understanding of who He is and that is accomplished by studying His Word. He then tends to confirm who He is through circumstances and asking that we trust in who He says He is. There is never a pat formula for what He will require of our actions or non-action. There are times He will ask we do nothing and watch Him, other times He wants us to move and use us. These are the times when He uses the bread crumbs found in scripture to guide us.
Hiding God's word in our heart, keeps the birds from stealing the substance from us when we are maneuvering through life. The beautiful thing about HIs word, is it is ALIVE and helps in changing us. God knows when to apply His word in our lives to strengthen, encourage, discipline, direct, restore, repair, teach and most of all administer His love towards us.
There have been many times I have been going through the motions of the day when a scripture will just drop in my thoughts, seemingly out of no where. I stop, and go, "That wasn't me! Thank you Holy Spirit for putting those amazing words in my head." Sometimes I have to study them to understand what He wants, other times I already know, smile and say, "Oh Lord, that was answer to my prayer or just what I needed to hear." The only way this happens is if you study His word.
So my dear sweet daughter, you are entering a time of life when everything begs questioning, yes even your parents are under the microscope for scrutiny. You will wonder at all life is and has to offer. You will anticipate your future as you move forward into womanhood. You are learning to rely on your God-given gifts as you begin the slow process of independence through healthy individuality. Emotions will confirm or betray, but through it all keep those scrumptious bread crumbs buried in your heart. God will take one out every now and then and nourish you along the way.
Scriptures For Your Pocket:
Psalms 199:11
Proverbs 3:6
John 6:35
Philippians 4:6
Isaiah 30:31
Psalms 37:31
Book of Remembrance:
I will never forget when we had the skin doctor's appointment. It was all set, routine. Before we went inside, the Lord stopped me in my tracks and said, "I will go before you." That is Deuteronomy 31:8. It is also a reference to a military stance. To go before in battle means to lead, to open up the way for victory, to do the hard work of the battle.
When the doc said we needed to test for skin cancer, I could have sunk into despair. I didn't because God's bread crumb was taken out of my pocket by Him and I chose to believe Him, no matter where the lab result lead us. I still prayed to God about the circumstance during the waiting time, did what I knew to do for our comfort but also RESTED in His Word. When we received the results that it was not cancer, could you imagine the JOY I felt, PRAISE I gave and THANKS I bestowed upon my Lord. The neat thing is when you follow God, even if the answer (lab results) was one you don't want to hear, He still is in control and we must trust He knows what is best. We need to keep on listening and storing bread crumbs which ever path He leads us down.
GOD GOES BEFORE US, HANG ON!
Oh, and I was totally impressed by your composure and trust in God too! Alex, you make a parent proud!
