Hope For Bible Study Newbies (Who Want to Train their Kids Well)

I’m not sure I should admit this, but as much as I loved Women Living Well, I felt a twinge of jealousy as I read chapter two. Unexpected emotions rolled around in my gut as I read about how Courtney’s mother sat down with her in fourth grade and taught her how to have a quiet time. I almost couldn’t relate to the picture of a young Courtney, with blonde pigtails no less.

Spending time with God and receiving notes of encouragement from my mother wasn’t my story. My mother was great and we went to church, but I honestly can’t remember one time during my 4th-grade-year (or 5th, 6th, 7th…) sitting down with my Bible or even connecting with God beyond church or vacation Bible school.

I loved Jesus, I did. I grew up going to church, well mostly. My mother and grandmother both became Christians when I was in second grade. I remember the happy day when they were baptized, but I also remember the challenges that came as they tried to live out their faith.

When I was in fourth grade, my mother and grandmother had only been Christians a few years and everyone else in the family was still on a journey. (Some of those family members are journeying still.) We didn’t have Christian books around the house and Bible study wasn’t something I witnessed. Our lives centered around my parents’ friends and new movies on HBO–movies I’d sneak and watch through the crack in my bedroom door.

Why am I confessing this? Because even though my childhood didn’t look like Courtney’s, so much more of chapter two looks like my life. Like Courtney, I draw peace, hope, and nourishment from my time with God. As a mom of six children (three of them six-years-old and younger), I sneak out of bed early and PRAY–pray that no one wakes up too soon. I need God, and my day is so much better when I make time for Him.

Unlike Courtney, no one taught me how to have a quiet time. Instead, I figured it out myself as a pregnant teenager who’d just given her life to God. And you know what? God showed up! He met me. He taught me. He teaches me still…

(Read the rest of this article on Time-Warp Wife)

 Prayer

Jesus, thank for guiding us and teaching us. On the days when it all seems so unfamiliar and overwhelming, you are there. Teach me to listen to your voice and absorb your teachings.

Let’s play a game!

My book The Kissing Bridge is a featured item in Barnes & Noble through August 18th! Next time you’re at Barnes & Noble, snap a photo of the book and post it on social media with the hashtag #iSpyTriciaG – You’ll be entered to win a $25 Starbucks gift-card and 5-book prize pack!

Only those in the US are eligible to win. Keep your eyes peeled for the winner announcement on August 19th!

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