The bed squeaked under my weight. Light filtered in from the street lamp and illuminated the life-size sunflowers on my wall.
“What happened today, God?” My voice echoed in the empty house. Pieces splintering off the ceiling. Pieces full of fear and sorrow and hurt.
It’s never fun to hear your failings. It’s even less fun when they’re laced with lies.
It was the summer I learned love but it was also the summer I learned knowing.
How you can’t live forever on knowledge of the past. There has to be work in the present. Friendships aren’t maintained on memories. They’re maintained on experiences.
click the picture to read the parable
Memories are good. Excellent, in fact. But we can’t live in the memories. We cling to the memories as we live in the now.
The Bible is clear on building altars. Milestones that mark our walk with him. But you can have a hundred altars in your past and not know him in the present if you aren’t spending time with him today.
God doesn’t change but we do. Over time our perceptions and understanding can grow and deepen, becoming richer and fuller. Or it can wither and dry up, leaving us empty and dying of thirst.
We have to keep crawling after him. We have to keep reaching, treasuring equally the crumbs from his table and the bread torn and dipped from his hand.
When we stop moving after him we stop knowing.
I did that in my friendships once. I stopped sharing and stopped listening and then couldn’t understand why I didn’t know them and they didn’t know me.
How could they believe lies about me? Easy, if they didn’t know my heart.
How can we believe lies about our God? Not too hard, if we don’t know his heart.
Ways to Dig Deeper (1)
Read the Word.
Simple, I know, but so often neglected. Just read.
Try a translation that reads smoothly. (The Message, New Living Translation)
Hate reading? Get the Bible on CD or listen online. (I have the NIV and love it. A friend uses The Bible Experience and loves it. If you have a favorite, let me know?)
Use a tool like this printable to mark off chapters you’ve read so you can keep track.
For delightful reading plans for every season of life, visit YouVersion.com
Do you have a favorite tool for Bible reading? A favorite translation? Tell me about it!
Natasha Metzler 
Can you like something you’ve been busted by? I think so. :O)
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🙂
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I love the youversion smart phone app! It makes my daily Bible reading an absolute cinch! I even set a reminder for early morning. Also, I have ADHD and even thoughI read very well, it’s sometimes hard to stay focused, but this app reads you the scriptures as you follow along. I love it!! My kids get to hear it as well when they come in the room.
Also, I must really have needed to hear this. It was the sermon topic yesterday. 😉
As always, even though I don’t post often, I absolutely love and am edified by your posts Natasha. God bless!
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I didn’t realize that YouVersion had an app. How great that it reads it aloud to you!
I would think about getting a smart phone just for that! 🙂
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I love “The Bible App” for the iPhone and iPad. I start my day with it, and it helps me keep things in perspective.
Your pictures are very beautiful. 🙂
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Love the idea of having something right there handy to start the day. 🙂
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Hi Sweet Natasha,
I so appreciate you sharing with us today. I will share that after many years of “church” {people} scarring, church splits, and some family depression, and me just trying to be the good girl {prideful}, through it all… God was patiently waiting for me to get to know the real Him better. He brought me “the message” version. And I hungrily ate it up with a spoon! 🙂 New Living Translation is also my favorite too! Also, my husband and I listen to the Bible every night in bed… I usually awake with joy in my heart in the morning because of it. 🙂 ~ Blessings girl, Amy
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I love the idea of listening to the Bible in bed! What a beautiful way to fall asleep!
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I’ve been listening to You Version’s Bible in 90 Days (NLT) on my iPad as I wait for sleep. I’m not sure I stayed awake through the whole reading but that is kind of beside the point! It’s a great way to drift off to sleep for a gal who historically uses that time to fret over things beyond her control!
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Love, love this. Just the idea of truth being the last thing before sleep. Hmm… yes.
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Hi Natasha,
Another message straight to the heart! I prefer the Holman Christian Standard Version but use many translations in my writing and studying. I don’t have any fancy tools, just the habit of being in the Word every morning.
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I’ve never used that translation. Will have to explore it!
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