Obaby and I start our day by reading a Bible story. We love the Jesus Storybook Bible that we were given by sweet cousins and their two baby boys this summer. The book’s subtitle is “Every story whispers His name”, because the author, Sally Lloyd-Jones, uses each story to reveal the preparations God was making for the Salvation of His people. The stories and illustrations are beautiful.
Most mornings, OBaby wakes up next to me in bed, I nurse him, and we cuddle up to The Good Book. Weekends are extra special because Daddy gets to read the story. It has been so wonderful to have this time each morning. It’s hard to feel like the things I am doing right now as a mother will have a clear impact on who my son will be as a person (sometimes, I hope they won’t, you know what I mean?) but I am proud of this habit we are starting.
Last week I was reading to OBaby about Joshua and the Battle of Jericho. He was so moved by the Israelites’ trust in God’s promises (at least that’s what I think it was) that he reached over and tugged on the page until he heard a rip…
and his mother’s gasp.
It was hard, in that moment, to not be bummed. I love this beautiful book, but as with all things that we own, it is meant to be used. Perhaps more than anything else we own, it is meant to be used.
So I looked at my son, I looked at the ripped page, and then back my son, and quietly I hoped that this would not the last time that his Bible pages show their use. A Bible falling apart is the sign of an owner who isn’t.
so so so so sweet! and that does look like a VERY cool, beautiful book! :)
We read the stories in this Bible every single day too sometimes several times throughout the day. It’s the best! And yes I totally agree, a Bible that shows it’s wear is a great sign! :)
so sweet! that is wonderful that you start our day this way. like you said, it’s meant to be used but can be quite a bummer when it’s abused ;)
that’s a great idea! i need to do that more.
side note: we read Joshua from our Bible when we had Joshua, and realized the violence wasn’t so appropriate since every other sentence said that he “utterly destroyed” someone. but i bet the kids’ version is less intense :)
what a lovely post and a lovely tradition! i hope you don’t mind if we copy you? it is a sign of flattery! :)
beautifully said, Allison, and SO true!
Beautiful story! And what a lovely way to remember that some of life’s little imperfections are actually perfect!
Great way to look at it! I’m always bummed when a book gets ripped :(
I think I might have to look into that one… I’ve been trying to find a good Bible for the kids, but can’t find one that I LOVE.
What a lovely way to start your day!
I loved the days reading these kind of Bible stories to our girlies… I hope their strong faith today is in some ways due to seeds planted way back then… maybe a little…
How incredibly sweet! I can’t wait to start this routine when our boy is *outside* the womb!
I am a follower of your blog as of recently, and I have to say this was a touching post. There is no greater gift than giving your child the knowledge of God, other than the gift of life of course ;)
Your last sentence moved me; how true is that. Love it.
Keep up the great blogging,
Kim
What a great tradition to start with your family! I can’t wait to read the Bible with my little guy.
This is very touching <3
That is my favorite Bible devotional for kids. It’s beautiful and poetic and does justice to the real thing.
And yes — one page torn is just one page well-loved. This is a sweet post.
I just ordered a copy for my children!! Thank you for sharing!! YAY!
What a sweet story! I love that “every story whispers His name”. That’s perfect! Kudos for starting good habits! :)
What a wonderful way to start the day! Good for you for instilling quiet time already at this age! :)
Beautiful post.
We’ve been reading the Bible at night recently after a visit from a Jehovah’s Witness resparked my daughter’s interest in it! But I like the idea of reading in the morning instead. Start the day off on the right foot.
What a great way to start your day! =)
Allison, it was so nice to meet you at storytime today! I still can’t figure out where we’ve met before, but I’ll keep thinking… :)
We have the Baby’s Hug-a-Bible which is written by the author of the Jesus Storybook Bible and it’s great! Anna loves the fuzzy cover and I love having a well-written, well-illustrated board book of Bible stories. She won’t listen to me read anything longer yet!
Yey!! You like the JSB!! I’m so very happy!! Whenever we give that book to someone, I always try really hard to convince them that “it’s not your average children’s bible.” I never know who will believe me and decide to do their own investigating. So, I’m really happy to hear that it’s already showing signs of wear! Every time we open it we have to stop on the page w/ Noah and the animals, the horsey page (fleeing Egypt via parted sea) and, of course, the donkey on page 180. Sam’s a little OCD. Doesn’t Jago have a semi-sick sense of humor???
We love, love, love the JSB! Isn’t it wonderful? Like you, my heart froze when our {FIRST} page tore. Many more have followed. But… the wonderful trade-off is that my kids LOVE to read it. How can I complain?
And, your last sentence was AWESOME!!! I’ve never heard that before – did you make it up? If so, you’re a genius. I’m making that my Facebook status right this very second.
Thank you for this gentle reminder that it’s never too early to show your infant son the story of Christ and God’s love. We say our prayers before bed each night, my eight month old son attends our outrageously loud and rowdy worship at church each week before we ship him off to the nursery, and he will undoubtedly know who Jesus is, how he lived, loved, and died. A morning devotion sounds like a glorious idea and because of this blog entry it will soon become a priority in my home.
Again, thank you. You’ve inspired me today. =)
“A Bible falling apart is the sign of an owner who isn’t.”
I so love that statement! What a beautiful message.
My girls have baby and toddler bibles, they are older now, 9 & 12, and have young adult bibles now but those beginner bibles show so much love…the spines are broken, pages dog earred and some even have tears. But it just reminds me of how many nights we sat together reading them and sharing the love story of our Lord and Savior. They (the books) never fail to give me pause and a smile when I look at them (my girls do that too but I was talking specifically about the books). So as sad as it is that the page is torn, you are so right in thinking ahead that one day Obaby will have a well worn, well read adult bible of his own. And that is a beautiful legacy.
[...] start the day off with an uplifing routine. I’d love to do yoga with the kids like Carrie. Or read the Bible to them like Allison. Or get up and start the laundry right away like Rachel. The overachiever in [...]