08 August 2011

An Adventure – a Gift from God (Part 3)



“Why, sometimes, I’ve believed as many
As six impossible things before breakfast.”
- Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass

This week I’m continuing my series about lessons I have learned from my grandkids. They each have their own unique talents and gifts, and my youngest grandson is no exception. He has quite an imagination, and if you combine that with his creativity, it is a recipe for fun and adventurous stories.

One afternoon last summer, we went to lunch and during our meal I asked him a bunch of questions to inspire a story. A few hour later our stomachs were full, and I had an entire story written down as told to me by Aydin. For Christmas I typed up the story, added some pictures, and presented him with his first “published” book. I have no doubt that he will become either a writer or an actor.

Stories can make us laugh or cry. They can take us on a magical adventure or teach us about faraway places. We can meet some interesting characters or hear about the lives of people from long ago.

As I read God’s Word, He takes me on personal adventures. It is within the pages that I find truth. It is here where I can read a list of God's commandments for daily living. I can learn things like “how to pray,” or other lessons from biblical leaders, parents, servants, and friends. I can hear the most beautiful love story ever told.... and find out about the depth of God’s love. And if that’s not enough, I can also be entertained - battles between nations, miracles of healing and rescue, celebrations such as weddings, births, and home-comings, and even stories set in some great vacation spots including the Garden of Eden, a mountaintop experience on Mt. Sinai, and boating on the Sea of Galilee.

In Exodus 10:2, the Lord said to Moses… “You will be able to tell wonderful stories to your children and grandchildren about the marvelous things I am doing among the Egyptians to prove that I am the Lord.” And in Psalms 78:2-4 Asaph tells us, “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.”

It is important that we share Bible stories with the children in our lives. They become the foundation of our faith. Just as prayer and scripture are an important staple in the life of a Christian, so are the Bible stories that teach us the history of biblical times, tell us about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, inspire us, provide lessons, and set guidelines for our daily living... parables, miracles, examples of the disciples.... all of these details are important in our spiritual journey.

If you want to try a fun activity, read a short Bible story to a group of kids and ask them some open-ended questions.... their creativity and imaginations will blow your mind! I once read the story of Noah’s ark to a group of 5 – 10 year olds. We had quite an interesting discussion about who had ever seen a rainbow and what the colors represented One little girl asked if there were unicorns on the ark, and a young boy raised his hand to ask the group if they knew that a rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant to us. ... And the children shall lead them!

My grandson will continue to come up with new and imaginative adventures, but God’s Word is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  At this stage in my spiritual journey, my Bible study seems to be getting more and more exciting. I love when pieces of the puzzle finally come together. Identifying the places where events actually happened, what was going on at the time, how traditions and customs affected the way people acted or re-acted to different situations, and realizing the deeper meaning to some of the simple lessons I learned in my youth... priceless! Greater understanding can only happen when we build layer upon layer.... reading and re-reading our Bibles and hearing once again all of those amazing stories.

What is the first Bible story you ever remember hearing?
What is your favorite Bible story?
What Bible story will you choose to re-read today?


Blessings for a week filled with His everlasting stories.
God’s Peace, Donna Weaver

Dear Lord, Thank you for the opportunity to share your
stories with my grandchildren. Bless them as they develop
their talents and use them to glorify you! Amen.

2 comments:

Maxine said...

This was a GOOD post Donna!! Yes I love the stories with the one about the woman at the well being my FAV. I find HIS word to be my anchor, my life and my only peace these days comes from it!! Love you!

Colin, Juanita, Ian, Brooke and Gavin said...

Oh Donna...

I Love the stories you are sharing about your grandkids. They are beautiful! And, you are so right... stories are what build the foundation of this life. I too have my favorite's from the Bible as well.... and many of those date way back to my childhood days. Days when we paired stories with songs to sing them.... Zacheus was my absolute favorite! Have a great week my friend!

Juanita