Filling everyday life with Scripture
by Vanessa Bonilla
“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him.”
Psalm 127:3
by Vanessa Bonilla
“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him.”
Psalm 127:3
As we steward the God-given gift of parenting, we know that we cannot do it without the gift Giver. Unfortunately, we face a huge dilemma. How do we separate ourselves from our seemingly endless responsibilities to focus our attention on Christ? Each season of parenting brings its own set of difficulties and demands, but God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Let’s go through some ways to be diligent in demanding times.
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Listen to Scripture
My dad always says, “one verse applied to your life is better than all the reading and studying in the world.” The best thing we could do in seasons of high demand is to go straight to the Source of all things, to read or listen to Scripture. Even one rightly applied verse will form our identity, shift our thinking, and shape the way we look at life. When we choose to be bathed in Scripture, we are more likely to choose to walk in the Spirit over the flesh.
If you have a smart device, you can set it to do a reading when you say, “good morning.” While you’re breastfeeding, find an app that can read to you. While you’re preparing dinner, have your spouse read a chapter aloud for you two to discuss.
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Teach Scripture
Joseph Joubert once said, “To teach is to learn twice.” One of the easiest ways I did this when my first four children were between newborns and nine, was to do family Bible time. I would assign a specific time in the day, worship together with a song or two, and then read a chapter of Scripture together to discuss.
The conditions weren’t perfect. The kids were sometimes loud, rolling on the floor or absently staring at the ceiling, but the seeds were being planted in all our hearts.
That time not only helped me engage with Scripture more deeply but also trained me for my current ministry as Children’s Director. I believe I learned more in that intentional family Bible time than what I had learned up to that point in my faith walk. I was spending time with my children, spending time with the Lord, and discipling them all at once! I can testify to seeing the harvest from those years of diligence.
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Pray Scripture
Praying and meditating on Scripture is the glue that holds our lives together. It is meant to be part of everyday life. Psalms 1 recommends meditating “day and night.” Fortunately, prayer, meditating on Scripture, and memorization don’t require stillness, they can happen while exercising, cleaning out your fridge, or having lunch.
Take a Psalm of David and rewrite it with the same format and add in the issues and circumstances you may be experiencing. Choose a proverb and write it out, sing it, share it, and memorize it. A good process to aid in memorizing a verse is to read the words in a loud voice, then a soft one, very slowly, and then very fast.
Quiet time may not be actually quiet for a couple of years but that doesn’t mean you cannot find quiet in the midst of the crazy. Quiet is not a sound, it’s a place. It is a moment where you choose intimacy with God over any other thing.
These years are not a waste, they are worship. It is training in choosing God in the midst of difficult days which will shape you for the battles and situations ahead. May God guide you to get to know Him more deeply as you pursue Him with all you are.
Be diligent momma! God is faithful to meet you right where you are.
These years are not a waste, they are worship. It is training in choosing God in the midst of difficult days which will shape you for the battles and situations ahead. May God guide you to get to know Him more deeply as you pursue Him with all you are.
Be diligent momma! God is faithful to meet you right where you are.
Application
- “Dwell: Audio Bible” app has great listening plans.
- “BibleProject” has an overview of every book of the Bible, great to watch with the family.
- Follow “melodicallymemorizing” on Instagram, which is dedicated to memorizing Scripture, one melody at a time.
VANESSA BONILLA
Lives with her husband, Eli, in Brooklyn, NY where she homeschools their five children. Vanessa is also the Children’s Director at her church, and she loves fire pits, friends, and spending time with her family.