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A Day In The Life of My Family:

As I write this new post, I am amazed by the pain that I feel. No, I’m not seriously injured, but I recently did do something stupid. But it was worth it!

My family and I live in Ohio, where we recently received a large snowfall and very cold temperatures. Since Sunday was such a beautiful day, I took five of my children to the large hill in our town called Reber’s bottom, which is perfect for sledding! My three-year-old daughter, Eva, wanted to go down but would only go with me. So I went with her, which was a big mistake! Halfway down I realized that I would pay for it the next morning, for my backside and back quickly began to hurt. We got to the bottom of the hill safely (Thank You, God!), and I realized, “Oh boy, I need to walk up this hill.” Then reality really set in: I had to carry my three-year-old halfway up the hill. Now my legs, back, and arm were feeling the burn! Yet I went down that hill two or three more times with our friends and the kids.

By Thursday of that week, I was still in pain, which brought to mind a couple points. First, I realized that my unusual physical exertion was symbolic of a Christian’s spiritual life. We only read and study God’s Word when it is convenient or necessary. This practice is like my using my physical body once in awhile, although I should exercise daily.

Despite the pain, this sledding experience allowed me to spend time with my kids, which makes all the pain worthwhile. They begged me to take them sledding and were thrilled that I did it with them. Spending this quality time with my kids also led me to consider our relationship with the God of the universe. When I am able to do something special with my kids, they love it, for they go crazy — tackling me, hanging onto my legs, and sometimes simply mobbing me. There are many times, however, that they need me to simply be still and hold them.

I believe our Heavenly Father wants to receive such attention from us. He wants us to go out of our way to spend time with Him in His Word. He wants us to pray to Him by speaking, listening, and simply being still in the presence of the Holy Spirit. He also delights in our loving each other. Although I often fail, I work at it every day, as I hope you all do as well. I encourage you: Take some time this week to cultivate the most important relationship of your life — your relationship with Jesus Christ.

How can you let Christ know this week that you love Him?

For further reading, consider Matthew 5:1-12.