Do not let them slip from your heart....

This spring, I have been working through a fantastic Bible study, "The Titus 2 Woman," with a large group of women at our church each Tuesday morning.  It has challenged me in a number of ways....such as better loving my husband and truly living well--no matter what my circumstance.  This week's chapter is on loving your children.  I spent some extra time on these verses yesterday:

Deuteronomy 11: 2-4 & 7 : "Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God: His majesty, His mighty hand, His outstretched arm; the signs He performed and the things He did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country; what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots, how He overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea as they were pursuing you, and how the Lord brought lasting ruin on them. But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done."

This passage from Deuteronomy reminds me of one of my very favorite Old Testament passages:

Deuteronomy 4:9: "Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them."

Reading these Scriptures reminded me again of all the great things God has done for us...

from the HUGE things....

--bringing Isaac home

--God's incredible direction during our adoption journey

to the seemingly small....

--receiving several free cans of formula last week

--a Starbucks mocha dropped off at my front door by a friend during a stressful day

Our incredible pastor's wife (and my friend) Susan Thomas has shared how she & Brandon keep a "miracle book"--a place to record all the great things God has done.  In tough times, she says that she & Brandon love to read through it and remember the miracles God has done for them in the past. 


As I go about the day to day busyness of life, it is so easy for me to forget the things that He has done for us....and when I don't remember, it becomes easy to worry.  In times when I am afraid (How & when will we adopt our next baby?) or anxious (Should we have counter-offered higher or lower on the house?), I am comforted when I pause and remember the incredible things God has done for me & our family in the past....if He has done such incredible things for us before, of course He will take care of us now and in the future. 

So if we are warned to watch ourselves so these great things do not slip from our hearts, we need to intentionally remind ourselves of the miracles God has done for us.  Remembering the miracles of the past gives us strength and confidence that God--our mighty God--will care for us in the future. 

So, how about you?  What would you write in your miracle book?  And what great thing can't you wait to tell your children about?