Practice

I planted these black-eyed susans years ago and they were pitiful. Only a few bloomed each year. Then we had a huge maple removed from the yard due to ant infestation and now the flowers have multiplied and flourished. They just needed more sunlight. It was as simple as that.

Sometimes when God is trying to tell us something, we will hear a message over and over. This morning I got a devotional in my e-mail from a man at our church. He was an ER doctor and he wrote about going to school and gaining a lot of knowledge but the real test came in how he applied that knowledge. It didn't do him much good in the ER if he couldn't take what he'd learned and use it to help his patients.

It made me think about my walk with God. I have a lot of Bible knowledge. I know what God's word says. But what good is that if I don't apply it to life situations? If I don't have patience with my husband and children, if I complain about circumstances, if I lose hope at the first sign of a disturbance in my routine? I am like what James 1:22-25 describes--the person who looks in the mirror and then walks away and forgets what she looks like. This person hears the word of God in the morning, but then lets it slip from her mind for the rest of the day.

Fred left early to go to breakfast with his friend. I opened my Bible to where I left off in my reading. I was on I Timothy 4. At the end of the chapter, these words caught my attention. "Set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have been given. PRACTICE these things, immerse yourself in them. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this..."

Now I am not a leader in the church like Timothy, but I have my own little sphere of influence, namely my family. What kind of example am I setting for my children? What do my actions teach them? That life is a difficult drudgery to be endured? When my words are harsh and my actions say nothing of my faith, my children are watching.

We've been given all the tools and resources we need. We have power from on high. Our Lord is there to cheer us and give us strength when we spend more time in the sunlight. I'm not one to promote endless introspection but maybe I need a little more honest evaluation on how I interact with my family. My husband and children are precious gifts from God and I love them more than anything else in my life. Today I will PRACTICE godliness in my speech and conduct and attitudes. Practice implies a good effort, not perfection. It might be hard work, but not impossible. Today I will not walk away and forget God's words. My family will be grateful.