My dear friend Tasha just wrote her first book and it happens to be an Easter devotion for children. It starts on Ash Wednesday and is a weekly devotion through Easter.
Last week our family was attacked by the vicious stomach virus and let me tell you, we ALL had it and it was awful! Anyway, that's not all all what this is about, ha! So our family officially started this devotional book Sunday night and let me tell you, we all enjoyed it, right down to the song that Josh wrote and recorded just for this week! All day I have been singing "la la la, la la la la la la" and can't wait for tomorrow's week 2 song to come out!!
This first week is about giving it up (lent is the period preceding Easter that in the Christian Church is devoted tofasting, abstinence, and penitence in commemoration of Christ's fasting in the wilderness). We have never done lent before, and sadly enough I never thought of it as something necessary until reading the devotion. Understanding why we make a choice to give something up over the easter season and what it symbolizes has put a whole new attitude in my heart about lent.
Well, on the way home from bible study I was alone in the car and racing to get home so I could hurry home and watch the Bachelor finale and prayed the house was nice and quiet so I could enjoy my tv time. Then came a subtle conviction about my habits and priorities. There are so many other things I should be doing and sitting in front of the television is for sure NOT one of them.
I am starting to notice very subtly that there are some things in my life that are taking the place of time I could be spending in prayer, reading, in relationship with my family, working on homeschool stuff, etc. I also notice that if I do not get that "one thing" I am moody and selfish. If I don't have a Pepsi Throwback when I have a craving I usually go to the store and get one and if I want to watch a show on tv, I just do it. I have no problem putting something aside for my time in front of the television, and that, is a problem.
I am learning that my time is all the time that I am given. What I do with my time reflects my loves, my priorities, what I care about and hold dear to my heart.
Wow, I have only read the first page of this great children's book, a book that is supposed to convict the hearts of my children and look at me, I am a mess! I can't wait to see what this next week has in store and the great conversation that I get to have with my kids over this book!
Easter is SO MUCH BIGGER THAN THE BUNNY! I am not even sure what the big deal is about the bunny anyway, he scares the crap out of all of my children but that's for another blog, ha!
What are you giving up and how do you spend your time?
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