As my children have grown, i’ve experienced more and more middle of the night, “I’m awaked and I’m concerned” moments. Sleep is not a typically a problem for me; however, there are those times when I’m suddenly awake and feeling the weight of some issue facing one of my kids.

The kids and I took my husband to see Incredibles 2 for Father’s Day. I was all candied up and ready to see Jack Jack, but of course first came the latest Pixar short, Bao.

(Spoiler Alert – If you haven’t seen the film, I’m about to give you a quick synopsis.)

A little Chinese woman is seen painstakingly making dumplings. She carries this food she has so carefully prepared out to the table for she and her husband to eat together. Her husband scarfs down his portion, picks up his briefcase and heads out the door to work.

You can see this small woman sink down even lower in her chair as she is left alone in their quiet house. She is just about to eat her last dumpling, when, to her shock, it begins to cry. She jumps back startled, and then slowly creeps forward to take a closer look.

Sure enough, the dumpling cries again and then begins to sprout a body like a baby. The woman immediately starts the process of caring for this little dumpling. She hugs him. She feeds him. She protects him. She even measures how tall he is growing.

She loves him.

Very quickly he grows into a young (man) dumpling and, despite her efforts, he no longer wants so much of his mother’s attention. Soon he finds a girl. As quickly as he introduces the girl to his mother, he is prepared to leave home.

His mother can’t bear the idea of him leaving. She blocks the door and pulls his arm and begs him not to go. Finally, he gets away, and as he is about to walk out the door, the mother grabs him and eats him. Yes, that’s what I said. She eats him! (Remember, he’s a dumpling.)

Before you start thinking, “What kind of twisted film is Pixar making?”, you should know that this was all just a dream.

I won’t tell you how the film ends, but when it was over my youngest son leaned over to my husband and said, “What?!” Apparently, he didn’t get it.

I, on the other hand, had to quickly gain my composure so they wouldn’t notice that I was about to start sobbing. I had this strong desire to meet this little animated woman because she was depicting my life!

Some things in life are apparently universal. And the feeling that your job as mother is coming to an end must be one of those shared experiences. I must confess that sometimes I too would rather (figuratively) eat the little dumplings than let them go.

Motherhood is hard. And, to date, this season has been the hardest. Not because I have difficult children. I have terrific, talented, fun, godly children. So this is also the most amazing season of parenting. I get to enjoy them as friends and advise them as adults or nearly adults. I get to watch how God has shaped these great men and women who live in my house and how He is preparing to launch them out into the world. But it’s also really tough to see the role that I love, that has been an intricate part of most of my adult life, appear to be coming to an end. That’s why I can totally relate to this little animated woman and her dumpling dream.

So, I have to rehearse the truth over and over in my head. Here’s a little of it:

Motherhood is not over it’s just going to change. Change is hard, but most often good for me. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

God is all good! And His ways and His designs for life are also all good. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:28‬ (And the rest of Romans 8)

He who began a good work in my children will be faithful to complete it! (Philippians 1:6)

So, for the next few years, in between crying and laying on the floor praying (just being honest), I will rejoice in the goodness of God, and the extraordinarily undeserved, incredibly amazing reward He has given me in my children. “Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭127:3‬ ‭

She was staring at us.

I wouldn’t have minded her staring but it became kind of awkward because she wouldn’t stop staring. Before long we were staring back. For a few seconds we were all just standing there looking at each other.

She finally snapped out of it and said, “Oh, I’m sorry I was staring.”

Now just for the record, we’ve been stared at before. Wes and I toting our four stair-stepped children have received many a look, especially when our kids were younger. These looks are not always the enthusiastic, admiring kinds of looks. (Maybe I’ll get into that on another blog.)

This young woman, however, was beaming. She had this big smile on and she kept glancing from Wes to me to each of our kids and back again. “I have four very small children,” she explained, “and when I looked at you I saw what life will be like in the future.” And from the look on her face she liked what she saw.

When we parted company, I noticed her husband pull up beside her in one of those carts that has a place for two kids to sit and “drive.” It was like a flashback.

When your kids are infant, toddler and preschool-sized, it can be easy to think, “This is never going to end.” These years are physically intense, there’s no doubt. There seems to always be a little person with a need, looking to you to meet it.

I can remember being reluctant to go anywhere by myself because I was afraid I’d lose somebody. My understanding husband did a lot of grocery shopping for me because I knew there was no way I could keep an eye on everyone by myself and come home with what was on the list (and them!).

I tried attending a Bible study once while pregnant with our fourth child. I had a big belly, one kid in a stroller and two very small people holding onto me as we crossed a street from the parking lot to get into the church. Not only did I have to bring my purse, a diaper bag and the Bible study material, but I had to pack a lunch for each kid. After about three attempts at this juggling act, I gave up. It was too hard.

Yesterday afternoon, standing in my kitchen, I looked up, and thankfully, I paused and observed. My oldest daughter was baking a cake. My son, who’s now taller than me, was passing through the kitchen to get a drink. My younger two were in the living room playing a game. I watched them all and my heart was full.

Now to be sure, our house is not always serene. We have our share of sin to deal with in ourselves and each other. But standing there in the kitchen, God gave me a moment to recognize what a blessing I’ve been given in each of my kids. I watched how they move around the house and the looks on their faces. I listened to their very adult-like conversations.

I love these people. And it hit me that they’re growing up more quickly than I would have ever thought possible. I kinda wanted to go squeeze them all and tell them to stop growing for a little while.

When you’re in the baby years, sometimes it’s hard to envision what the future will be like. This young woman in the grocery store saw my four children walking on their own, one kid even fetching a cart for us, and it gave her hope. And I was thankful that on that day we gave her a good example to witness.

If your head is spinning because you’re sleep deprived, or you wishing you could put the activity on pause just long enough to retreat and take a shower, take a deep breath and remember the physical sacrifices you are making today are for the benefit of some very special people. Hang in there. Ask God for His supernatural strength.

Then go wade through the Cheerios, hug your kids, and whisper a thank you to God for this wonderful crazy moment in your life.

I was not a strong reader as a child. As a result, I was never fond of reading as a pastime. However, since having children I’ve become a huge fan of reading books together. We laugh, we sit in suspense, and we (well, its usually just me) are moved to tears. And my favorite genre right now? Young adult fiction. (Perhaps I’m making up for what I missed in my youth!)

There are some great authors out there. Here are a few of the books I’ve read with my children:

Secrets at Sea 

Fair Weather

Here Lies the Librarian

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey 

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma

The Westing Game

Wednesday Wars

The Hobbit

Whatever the age of you’re children, and whatever type of books you happen to be into, let me just urge you to read with your kids. The more you read together the more attentive they will be. And before long sharing these stories will be a highlight for everyone!

The kids and I recently finished reading 2 Kings, and this time, even more than before, I marveled at Elisha. If you want to see the Spirit of God working through the life of a man…and be filled with hope knowing that this same Spirit dwells in you…read about Elisha.

I ran across this great article by Bruce Waltke. In it, he takes us for a swim (to the deep end) in the amazing life of Elisha.

It’s not too late to get away this summer for a fun, cheap, quirky road trip. That’s right, get your kicks on Route 66!

I’ll blog about our adventure next week. In the meantime, if you’re looking to hit the road immediately, download one of the many road trip apps and explore the ever fascinating, fattening and fun Route 66!

I never want to take away from Scripture nor do I want to add to it. However, I did want to adapt some stories to a child’s level. So, I’m going to tell you what I did. However, keep in mind, I firmly believe that you have to make choices that are best for your family. You have to decide what you are comfortable discussing with your kids, and you have to evaluate their maturity level.

I might also add that the stories of Scripture are dealing with topics that we all, as parents, need to discuss with our kids. And what better context in which to have these conversations that in the context of God’s Word. However, you have to decide when the time is right to give your kids more information.

With that in mind, here’s how I approached this delicate question.

First, I began to read ahead. After I read a chapter each day to my preschool-aged children, I then would just skim the next chapter to prepare myself for what was coming the following day.

When we came to a violent story in Scripture, most of the time I read it with little to no editing. There was only one time when I remember feeling like this might have been a bad idea. I read an account of a king who had his eyes gouged out. (2 Kings 25:7) My kids were stunned, and they let me know it. I realized that I probably should have had a gentler approach on that one. (My bad.) After that, when we came to that particular story again, all my kids would start saying, “Don’t read this. We know what happens.” And I moved on.

Despite that incident, I found that, most of the time, even when we didn’t understand the violence, we could read it and familiarize ourselves with the story. Our understanding could (and did) grow later.

For me, the real tiptoeing came when we got to intimate relationships. The Bible gives us some rather explicit descriptions of both the beauty of intimacy and the reality of sin. So when we arrived at these stories, I would sometimes give my own paraphrase of one sentence or paragraph, or I might omit a word that I didn’t feel my children should have in their arsenal.

I also gave some of my own definitions for certain words. When we came to stories of prostitution, I conveyed to my kids that a prostitute is “a woman who has a relationship with one man after another … the kind of relationship that God designed for one man and one woman to have when they become husband and wife.” You get the idea.

Then there’s that story in Judges. This would be one of the exceptions. In this scene a priest’s concubine is assaulted … and the violence doesn’t stop there. I chose to summarize this entire story when my kids were very young. We have since read the story many times, but it’s a disturbing account to us all. It’s the sad conclusion of Judges. A good reason to scan ahead, and ask God to give you wisdom to know how to approach these passages of the Bible with your own kids.

We’ve been reading the Bible for about fifteen years. As my children have grown and become more “informed,” it’s been so neat to see how this increase in information also gives them an even greater understanding and appreciation of God’s Word. When they were small, I felt as though I was giving them a foundation and getting them acquainted with all of Scripture. Now, having completed four trips through God’s Word together, I’ve been able to witness the Holy Spirit giving understanding. And, I have faith that God will continue to do that work in all of us.

Well, it’s not, I repeat  it’s NOT, too late. Bible reading is as good an idea in July as it was in January.

Perhaps what you need is a map, a plan to guide your way.

Well, here’s a two year guide that I created for my family. We have discovered that two to three years is a good pace for us to read the entire Bible. Perhaps this could be true for you, as well.

You can start this journey at any time. It is not based on the calendar year. Instead, you simply follow week one, week two and so on.

The plan includes “catch up” days just in case you fall a little behind. If you reach a catch up day and you’re right on schedule, you can save that day for another time when you may need it.

I also threw in three vacation weeks (listed at the bottom) that can be inserted at any point. The vacation weeks are designed for those times when you’re out of the normal routine. Life happens! For example, when you’re sleeping on the couch or the floor at a relative’s house and you just can’t do Bible reading as usual. Perhaps you could use a vacation week when your entire family has the stomach flu. Or maybe you can actually use a week when you’re on vacation, sitting on the beach praising God for the warmth of the sun.  You can get back to your normal reading when your routine gets back to normal.

Oh, and one more thing, this is the first time we’ve used this plan as a family, so this is our first test run. If you use the plan and happen to find any errors (like I missed a chapter of Leviticus or something), be sure to let me know. I can make corrections and put up a new link.

Today is a great day to hear God. Begin reading His Word on January 31!

Two Year Bible Reading Plan

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Suggestions for Meditating on Scripture

1. Ask God to meet you in Scripture. Acknowledge that he is present with you. Ask him to begin to wash your thoughts. Anticipate that God will speak to you through his Word. You may be deeply moved in reading or be prompted to take a particular course of action.

2. Read the Bible in a repentant spirit. Read it with a vulnerable heart, realizing that reading for transformation is different from reading to find information or to prove a point. Resolve to obey the Scriptures.

3. Meditate on a fairly brief passage or narrative. Read Scripture slowly. When certain words or thoughts stand out, let them sink into your heart and allow God to use them to speak to you. If you are reading a story, use your imagination to envision the setting and what was happening. “Success” in meditation is not to get through a quantity of Scripture but to get the Scripture through to you.

4. Take one thought or verse with you through the day. Fruitful living comes to the person who meditates on Scripture “day and night” (Psalm 1:1–3). Before you go to sleep at night or as soon as you wake up, choose a single piece of Scripture on which to meditate throughout the day. You’ll discover wonderful truths!

5. Allow this thought to become part of your memory. Memorizing Scripture is a powerful means of transforming your mind. It’s not how many words you memorize that matters; it’s what happens to your mind as you immerse it in Scripture.