Walk in the Light

I was in the kitchen, cleaning up breakfast dishes, when suddenly I heard a huge crash followed by screams coming from my then five-year old. I rushed toward his cries, anxious to see what had happened because he doesn’t usually cry unless he is really hurt. I found him standing in the living room, holding his ear. This was our conversation:

Me: What happened?
J: I hurt my ear on the door.
Me: Oh, no. Are you okay? I need you to be careful and watch where you’re going so you don’t run into the door again.
J: But, Mom! I need to walk with my eyes closed!

Note to self: Walking with your eyes closed is not a good idea.

This concept of walking with our eyes closed can be applied to each of us. Now, I realize we don’t actually wander around with our eyes closed, but we don’t always walk according to the Light of the Word either. Psalm 119:105 says that God’s word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path but I, for one, don’t always use the Word to guide my path. Just like my son, I sometimes choose to close my eyes and walk however and wherever I want.

As a parent, it’s so easy to neglect spending time reading and studying Scripture. So many things seem to take precedence over my time with the Lord:

sleep

children who wake up too early

work

gym time

“urgent” emails

If I don’t grab my coffee and my Bible first thing in the morning, it’s pretty much a guarantee that I won’t have a spare minute later in the day to spend time with the Lord. But when we neglect to read God’s Word, or when we choose not to apply His teaching to our lives, we walk in darkness. We walk on our own paths without a Light.

I remember when our youngest child was very small, she would walk around the house crying for things. She would whine for her flip flops or for crayons or for a book. It was pitiful. It was such a sad sight to see this tiny little human walking, desperately crying for her “pwip pwops” (flip flops) and “cuwuhs” (colors). And she would often cry for things that were not in her best interest. Things that could hurt her, like scissors or forks. I would try to explain to her that she couldn’t have those items because they weren’t safe for her, but she would get more and more upset.

I feel like a lot of times, we are like my youngest child. We walk around in our darkness crying for things that just won’t satisfy us. We cry for more money, bigger houses, fancier cars, new clothes. We cry for “better” lives. But in the end, those things are not necessarily good for us.

But do you know what is good for us? Jesus. He will “satisfy your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:5) And I don’t about you, but I need all the “renewing” I can get!

Maybe you’ve been neglecting your time spent with the Lord. Maybe, like me, finding time to sit in God’s presence is sporadic at best. Today, I want to encourage you to make time to linger with the Lord. Even if you can only find five minutes a day during this season in your life, start there. Proverbs 31 Ministries has a great app called First5. It’s perfect for those busy mornings when all you can spare is five minutes. Check it out here.

So grab a cup of coffee and your Bible and soak in God’s word to you. He will speak to you if you take the time to listen. God’s Holy Word brings life and light. Immerse yourself in His presence, my friends. And you won’t have to walk in darkness again.

For more encouragement, check out my devotional Mommy Has Crinkles.