Falling Fresh
She seemed glazed and disconnected.
As I sat on the edge of her bed, my daughter expressed a lack of desire to spend time in Sunday school, youth group and even small group. Her complaint: boredom.
The same stories.
The same lessons.
The same characters.
Yawn.
She’s right. We read the same passages over and over again. Paul starts to sound like that friend from high school who insists on recounting his adolescent antics at every reunion. The mere mention of Mary and Martha’s disagreement makes me want to go clean my refrigerator. We must have heard the account of Jesus feeding the 5000 once for every person He fed that day.
Is God boring?
The Bible isn’t God’s Facebook — we can’t open it expecting to find a new status update from Him in our feed to titillate our relentless desire for ‘news’. His Word is unchanging because it is complete and perfect:
Your righteous laws are eternal.
— Psalm 119:160 NIVHeaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
— Mark 13:31 NIVEvery word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
— Proverbs 30:5 NIV
On the human timeline, God’s Word will forever remain exactly as written.
The same stories.
The same lessons.
The same characters.
So, after we’ve heard, read, or even studied, every passage in the Bible, why should we continue to listen to, read and study it? Can’t we just check that box and move on? How do we keep from becoming jaded?
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
— Hebrews 4:12 NIV (emphasis added)
When we study God’s Word we bring with us a set of thought patterns and experiences that have been altered or expanded since last we read it, simply because time has elapsed. The Bible, because it is alive and active, illuminates our thoughts and attitudes, penetrating our hearts, exposing the ways we have grown or changed — for better or for worse — and calls us to application. Our faith must be more than intellectual assent; it must be expressed through action in the very daily-ness of our lives.
Herein lies the miracle:
If we come to the Scriptures expectantly, anticipating a conversation with the Living God, His Word will certainly fall fresh on our minds and spirits, paradoxically teaching us anew with a timeless truth. Conversely, we can also tune out when God speaks, assuming we already know what He’s going to say… that we will only be re-regaled with overused stories, thereby reducing the miraculous to merely mundane. [Tweet this?]
I encouraged my daughter to approach the Bible with wonder, asking God to reveal something to her that she’s not before noticed or appreciated. We mused for a few moments about various frequently-taught passages. I asked what she thought it might have been like to stand on shores of the Red Sea when God parted the waters. I watched a visible change in her countenance: her eyes widened with wonder, her posture erected.
“It would have been so loud!”
Never — in all my years of studying God’s Word — has it occurred to me that sound would have accompanied that divine act. What a barrage on the senses that moment must have been for the Israelites. Yes, of course it would have been loud.
May you find this kind of wonder in your moments with God today.
What passage of Scripture did you read today?
In the comments below, recount how it ‘fell fresh’ on you.
As a teacher, I’m thinking of how to get these ideas across. How about having the kids brainstorm problems that might arise in their lives (school bullies, peer pressure, body image, etc) and have them get in small groups to act it out. Then a discussion could be launched to see what parts of the Bible have some guidance around that issue. Just a thought.
As a teacher, I’m thinking of how to get these ideas across. How about having the kids brainstorm problems that might arise in their lives (school bullies, peer pressure, body image, etc) and have them get in small groups to act it out. Then a discussion could be launched to see what parts of the Bible have some guidance around that issue. Just a thought.
As a teacher, I’m thinking of how to get these ideas across. How about having the kids brainstorm problems that might arise in their lives (school bullies, peer pressure, body image, etc) and have them get in small groups to act it out. Then a discussion could be launched to see what parts of the Bible have some guidance around that issue. Just a thought.
Good ideas, Sue! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Great post Kirsten.
Solid Truth sister!
Love it!
Hester, 😉
Thanks, Hester!
Great post Kirsten.
Solid Truth sister!
Love it!
Hester, 😉
Thanks, Hester!
Great post Kirsten.
Solid Truth sister!
Love it!
Hester, 😉
Thanks, Hester!
I love it, Kirsten! I hadn’t thought about that either, even after watching Charlton Heston yelling over the rushing waters!
I think I see something new every time I sit down to outline a lesson. It’s amazing how you can read something familiar and see something completely new!
I love it, Kirsten! I hadn’t thought about that either, even after watching Charlton Heston yelling over the rushing waters!
I think I see something new every time I sit down to outline a lesson. It’s amazing how you can read something familiar and see something completely new!
I love it, Kirsten! I hadn’t thought about that either, even after watching Charlton Heston yelling over the rushing waters!
I think I see something new every time I sit down to outline a lesson. It’s amazing how you can read something familiar and see something completely new!
I love it, Kirsten! I hadn’t thought about that either, even after watching Charlton Heston yelling over the rushing waters!
I think I see something new every time I sit down to outline a lesson. It’s amazing how you can read something familiar and see something completely new!
I love it, Kirsten! I hadn’t thought about that either, even after watching Charlton Heston yelling over the rushing waters!
I think I see something new every time I sit down to outline a lesson. It’s amazing how you can read something familiar and see something completely new!
Maybe if I’d seen that depiction it would have occurred to me, Susan. But more likely not. I absolutely love this aspect of God’s Word!
I couldn’t wait to read a) your response to your daughter, and b) her response to you. To me that is part of the “so what?” of challenges that I read/hear, even if I know intuitively that a response on my part is required. I appreciated both. 🙂
I also *didn’t* wait to read this post (“I have to remember to come back and read this later,” is my typical response…). Again, perfect timing for where I’m at right now.
Thanks, friend.
I couldn’t wait to read a) your response to your daughter, and b) her response to you. To me that is part of the “so what?” of challenges that I read/hear, even if I know intuitively that a response on my part is required. I appreciated both. 🙂
I also *didn’t* wait to read this post (“I have to remember to come back and read this later,” is my typical response…). Again, perfect timing for where I’m at right now.
Thanks, friend.
Glad it was worthwhile for you. Would love to hear how you handle this, Jenni!
I get the same complaint…
I get the same complaint…
So do I…
I get the same complaint…
I get the same complaint…
I get the same complaint…
So do I…
How about you, Sharon — what do you do to renew their interest?
What do you do to keep it fresh for them, Jennifer?
What do you do to keep it fresh for them, Jennifer?
What do you do to keep it fresh for them, Jennifer?
I teach 2nd grade Sunday School and we apparently even use the exact same curriculum as a Christian school nearby… One little girl is always commenting that she just learned this at school, etc… In any event, my goal is to have them know and interact with Christ, know the truth (technically the same thing, but..), and know how to share their faith. So – separate from the curriculum/stories, we do a lot of practice praying in different ways… Popcorn prayers, praying silently for a partner, praying aloud for a partner, sharing prayer requests with a group, etc. I want them to know that they can talk with God about anything, even (or especially?) things that we adults might find trivial. We have practiced sharing about Christ with others, and we have practiced finding appropriate times and ways to share their faith with others. We also play a trivia game to see what details they can remember from the last week’s lesson… They have two minutes to find the answer, but they have their Bibles and the reference passage to find and reread during that time. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your or your daughter’s idea of placing herself in the scene… I’ll have to try that with the kids on Sunday.
I teach 2nd grade Sunday School and we apparently even use the exact same curriculum as a Christian school nearby… One little girl is always commenting that she just learned this at school, etc… In any event, my goal is to have them know and interact with Christ, know the truth (technically the same thing, but..), and know how to share their faith. So – separate from the curriculum/stories, we do a lot of practice praying in different ways… Popcorn prayers, praying silently for a partner, praying aloud for a partner, sharing prayer requests with a group, etc. I want them to know that they can talk with God about anything, even (or especially?) things that we adults might find trivial. We have practiced sharing about Christ with others, and we have practiced finding appropriate times and ways to share their faith with others. We also play a trivia game to see what details they can remember from the last week’s lesson… They have two minutes to find the answer, but they have their Bibles and the reference passage to find and reread during that time. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your or your daughter’s idea of placing herself in the scene… I’ll have to try that with the kids on Sunday.