I was laying on the floor of our boys’ bedroom one afternoon, peering behind their bunk beds, when Cole walked in. “Help me look for Spike,” I mumbled. “I can’t find him.”
The Johnson house is a critter haven, one of which is a sixteen-inch Chinese Water Dragon named Spike. Spike is allowed loose in our boys’ lizard-proof bedroom for a couple of hours each day, and he often hides out on the tall fake tree next to the window. Occasionally he scrambles off the tree and hides when he’s frightened.
I figured that’s what happened this particular time, but as Cole and I searched their room, our concern increased. We checked behind and under the bookshelves and the dresser and even in the closet, though it had been closed.
When Chase poked his blond head through the doorway, he noted our desperate search. “Are you looking for Spike?” Chase asked, a big grin lifting his cheeks. “Did you check his cage?” He jabbed a thumb toward Spike’s large terrarium, where our beloved pet lizard was indeed basking on the branches below his UV light. “I put him away.” Chase giggled at the surprised look on my face, and Cole and I let out twin sighs of relief and chagrin.
Later, I thought of the many places we search for God’s will in our lives. We read books and devotionals, ask friends, family, and pastors, pray for guidance, even mimic others’ faith journeys in an effort to find God’s will. These are not necessarily bad or wrong, but often the obvious source for spiritual guidance and heavenly help gets overlooked – the Word.
After all, God’s Word is a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Psalm 119:105, NKJV). Start the search for God’s best for you in the Word, because the Author created His book specifically as a living, eternal map to lead us through any situation in life.
Prayer Prompt:
“Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the Bible to guide our days. Help us keep Your living word open and read and warm in our hands. Help us read it to our families, hide it in our hearts, and live in its pages, keeping our eyes on Jesus….”
Memory Verse:
“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.”
– Psalm 119:114 (NKJV)
Contributing Writer:
Kerry Johnson
A Lamp, A Light, and a Writer
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