Or better said… What if you took God's goodness personally?
I thought of this on a recent walk with one of my girls. We came out of the woods to this sunset (above) and she gasped. “It's so beautiful!” And without a beat, she assumed: “God made it just for me.”
Seeing God through the eyes of a child made me stop and think: Do I take you this personally, Lord? Do I look at nature as an answer to a breath-prayer for Presence? Do I see the provision for groceries as just that, provision, or as evidence of my own hard work?
The sunset is different each night, a conglomeration of clouds and light and moisture. Science can explain it. But can't God also be in it? The child-like faith sees God in everything, even seeing the scientific explanation as evidence of His grace.
“For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Col. 1:16-17)
We have, as an American church at least (I can't speak for my international readers' experiences) bought into a “separatist” view of spirituality. We separate science from faith. Physical from spiritual. Scientific from religious. And the ensuing divide causes us to doubt God's presence, His care, His affection and even His reality. We explain everything away as a mere physical thing, never stopping in awe to say – You made this for me. I see your glory.
I choose to see.
I choose to open my eyes and behold the glory, which is His goodness, and take it personally. With a kind and good God, we get to do that. And when I am constantly receiving His goodness I am consequently overwhelmed with thankfulness, recognizing His Presence everywhere I go.
Perhaps one day I will gasp like a little girl when she lifts a zucchini leaf or turns to face the sun: You made this just for me.
Don't Miss…
The Leviticus study SOLD OUT over the weekend but we have restocked!
Our fall collection launched and WOW. I am SO blessed by your response. We sold out of candles, pumpkins, and the Leviticus study, with card sets for prayer and memorization close behind! We are restocking everything but the pumpkins, and you can order now. It will say “backorder” which means the order will go out as soon as the products come in.
I talked about the Orange children's ministry curriculum, some hesitancies I have and why teaching the Bible as a cohesive story is so important over on Instagram.
Also on Instagram… Day in the Life is every Wednesday, where I show behind the scenes of running Every Woman a Theologian, homeschooling, and our little farm. It's become the most popular thing I do on the app, hilariously! I do it to encourage the first generation Christians who want to see “theology in action”… how does it impact home life? I am so glad you've been enjoying it!
The prayer mini-series of the podcast has been completed and I'm working on a new series as we enter fall. Listen to the prayer series (5-part) in iTunes or Spotify!
What I'm Reading
Starting: If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home
I started this book as part of a research project for a new book I'm writing. It's not super relevant to my topic anymore but I can't stop reading - it's so fascinating!
Still Reading: The Benedict Option
This book is thought provoking as Christians determine how to live in a post-Christian culture. In many ways it is simpler to live as a believer in the world, but not of it, without the pretense of a “moral” society. But it poses its own challenges. Living in an area that is openly NOT Christianized, I see this perhaps more clearly. Enjoying this book.
Re-reading: Praying the Scriptures for Your Children
I love this book. I skim the devotional parts now since I've read it before, but I utilize the Scripture based prayers. There is a journal that goes with it too.
This homemade pumpkin spice syrup: I tried this recipe - I have to perfect it, but it's better than the store-bought options!
Lots of question about my lake scene mug: Sadly, it's a garage sale find (not sad for me! It was $3) but here is one on Etsy that's kind of similar.
Speaking of Etsy, here is the world map in my dining room: I have been asked about this enough! Here it is.
Our new Teach Me to Pray Cards are a regular on our dining room table! We use these during mealtime discipleship.
The two kids podcasts we are loving right now: We have been listening to Lamplighter Kids for a year and love it; we recently introduced Greeking Out and my Greek-mythology loving kids are obsessed!
At Home with Phylicia
We started homeschool today!
Back to Co-Op: Our homeschool group meets once a week to introduce the concepts we will study the rest of the week. It was such a sweet reunion! We had so much fun reconnecting with friends and getting back into a rhythm. We are studying American history this year!
My Ideal Schedule: I like to create an “ideal week” that gives a rhythm to our days. It includes our theme nights (what we do each night of the week - e.g. hosting night, game night, small group night), what kind of work I do each day during my work time (1-5 PM), and what our homeschool focus is for the day. Even if we stray from the ideal, it's a nice way to order our days.
