(~ 5 min read) Good morning. A mother and her teenage daughter were driving to the store to pick up a few things before hosting their weekly church small group at their home.
The young lady told her mom as they passed the exit to their church, "I don't understand why you and Dad spend some much time reading your Bibles. We go to church twice a week and hear the pastor tell us everything we need to know about God."
The mother said nothing causing the young girl to believe she had offended her mom. The woman remained silent while buying groceries but spent a few extra moments buying three packs of seeds in the flower section of the store.
The woman and her daughter left the store, and the teenager watched her mom open a pack of seeds and throw them out in the parking lot.
"Why did you do that, Mom."
"These seeds have all the need to grow but can't grow because it's in the wrong environment. They got back in their car and drove home, where the mom opened a second pack of seeds, but this time laying a few on top of the soil in her garden.
"These seeds may grow, and some may die but will have to struggle to survive.
The mother then opened a final pack of seeds, burying a few and watering them. "These seeds have the best chance to grow because they have found fertile soil and the right environment. Your dad and I study and read the Bible so that our hearts and minds, the "soil and environment" for God's life-changing seeds in his word, can blossom in our lives and change us and those around us."
Today's thought: "God and the power of his words become real and life-changing when we take the time to plant them in our hearts and mind."
Closing: Psalm 119:105 NIV says, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. As much as we need water to survive, we need to spend time reading and absorbing the word of God in the Bible to find purpose, peace, and joy in life.