When it Goes Untouched

I think I walked past it three times.

I didn't mean to.

I had every intention of giving it the attention it deserved.

But I got distracted: my daughter was crying, the microwave beeped, the phone rang.

Each time I walked back in the living room it stared at me.

As I turned to grab it, something else caught my attention.

Today it was milk spilled on my hardwood floor. A little puddle that, ten minutes later, I finally wiped up with a washcloth. Left for much longer, I would have been forced to stare at the resulting stain forever. Today it was milk.

Two years ago it was my Bible.

I think I walked past it three times.

I didn't mean to.

I had every intention of giving it the attention it deserved.

But I got distracted: my daughter was crying, the microwave beeped, the phone rang.

Each time I walked back in the living room it stared at me.

As I turned to grab it, something else caught my attention.

But I let the distractions spiral into one another, and soon days had passed and my Bible sat untouched.

Days slid into weeks, weeks into three months.

Finally, I reached for it.

But there was a stain in my life that I will look at forever. Wiped clean by God's grace, but not forgotten by me.

He did not breathe His Word into those who penned the Bible so that it would look pretty on our bookshelves.

He gave us His Word so that we can hide His wisdom in our hearts.
"I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You." (Psalm 119:11)
He gave us His Word so we can make choices that honor Him.
"In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:6)

When we let ourselves get too distracted by the world, we're the ones who suffer. If we allow too much time to pass where He is not our priority, we may find that our choices can't be easily wiped away.

We can make time for Him. Our paths are blessed when we have His road map in our hands.