Joy For All SeasonsSample

My healthiest addiction began when I was a little girl hanging out with my dad in the wee hours just before dawn. I would meander down the stairs while the rest of the house was still snoring. My dad would be sitting at the kitchen table with a steaming cup of coffee, laced generously with milk. And open in front of my loving earthly dad was his Bible. When I snuggled up to Daddy with my long blonde hair all tangled and my wrinkled pajamas still on, he would talk about the Bible to me. He would tell me the stories of David … and Abraham … and Noah … and Esther. He would quote to me some of his favorite Psalms. Dad would tell me about Paul’s missionary journeys and of the bravery of Peter. When the rest of the house began to stir, I would quietly slip away from the table and begin to get ready for the day. But a need in me had been filled … I had spent time with my father and with my Father in the Word of God. I felt like the richest little girl in the world. Although nearly half a century has passed since living in the same home with my dad, I still can’t begin a day without valuable time spent in the Word of God. There is an emptiness inside of me that only the power found in the Bible is able to fill. I feel that I have cheated myself, and the world in which I live, when I haven’t spent time reading the Psalms or the Book of John or one of the Epistles. The addiction that I have to the Bible makes all other earthly addictions seem cheap and distracting. The mornings that I have spent with the Bible open in front of me have been the most fulfilling days of my life. I come to Him just as I am … sleepy, wrinkled, and tangled. He looks at me with love in His eyes and calls me away from the temporary pleasures of this earth. He knows that it is in the place of choosing Him and all that He is where I will at last discover fulfillment, purpose, and rest. Joyful Thought to Ponder: What is your favorite Bible verse?