Scripture!

My dad was big on the Scriptures, maybe because he read the Bible front to back more than once after a challenge from his college Professor. He told the students that if they could find a particular passage in the Bible, he would give them an instant A for the class. Maybe my dad was big on Scripture because he knew that every situation in life, good or bad, could be remedied by following the Word. However, he also said something similar about the Seinfeld episodes; that there was an episode about every situation he had ever come up against in life. I’m leaning on Scripture here…

I love the reading today from the Letter of Paul to the Colossians. “From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with knowledge of God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.”

What a wonderful piece of writing for us for today! This took me directly to why I wrote my first little prayer book, Bless My Child, and my newest, Bless My Grandchild. As the mother of (at the time) 5 children, I knew darn good and well that I was not build to be the perfect mother. Don’t get me wrong, I love my children, but I had no idea what I was doing and all the books in the world of “how to be a good mom” were not going to help. As I sat in our gym and listened to the principal talk to a sea of parents before the start of school one year, I heard very clearly, “When it comes to what’s really important, referring to praying for our children, ‘If not us, who? If not here, where? If not now, when?'” It was then that I heard exactly what God wanted me to do for my children and it’s what He still wants me to do and He now has added grandchildren to the mix. God is brilliant, isn’t He? He knows as well as I do that there is no way I’m going to be this perfect parent or grandparent but He does know that I can pray. And so, I started praying for my children from the time they were conceived to the time they marry or not and have their own children or not and every moment in between. Daycare, first days of school, sports, tests, friends, teachers, driving, jobs, etc. etc. This perfect circle of prayer keeps us connected and helps us all to grow in knowledge and to be strengthened with power and endurance and patience. These prayers for each other, for our children and our grandchildren bring joy to the Father who will help us all to share in the inheritance with the holy ones.

I honestly think that if we all prayed the above opening to the Colossians for the people we meet each day, for our friends and family, for our children and grandchildren, this world would be a better place. Not perfect by any means, but better, following God’s will and being worthy to bear fruit from our work. After all, if not us, who? Then, maybe we can read all the letters of Paul and move forward to the rest of the New Testament. We can take a little bit every day and learn to pray with the Scriptures. The Old Testament helps to connect us to the New, so here we go starting at the beginning, or maybe simply with the readings of the day, the Old Testament, Psalms and New Testament. We could follow the “Bible in a Year”. However we go about it, maybe, just maybe, we can search the Scriptures and find that perfect passage that will give our life, and those around us, a better grade. Maybe even an A.