Do Not Forget What Your Eyes Have Seen
By Tiffany Thibault
Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. - Deuteronomy 4:9
My little girl was about 3 ½ when she cheerfully volunteered to go get the mail. She had been doing this for a few days now. Our mailbox was at the curb of our driveway, part of a quiet cul de sac. The first day or two that she got the mail, I stood at the door and watched her. Today though, she said, “Mama, I’m a big girl. I can get the mail. Don’t watch me.” I said ok, and let her go to get the mail without watching her. I instead, went into the kitchen to start making lunch, telling myself that independence has to come in baby steps such as this.
She skipped down the driveway, proud of being a big girl. She opened the door of the mailbox and grabbed the mail out. Then she saw a piece of paper in the newspaper slot. She reached her sweet little hand into the slot to get the paper. Then she began to scream at the top of her lungs.
When I heard that little girl scream, I ran to the front door, threw it open and ran outside, seeing my daughter crying and hearing her blood-curdling screams.
When my daughter had reached her hand into the newspaper slot, she had not noticed the wasp nest. She had been stung by a wasp. The surprise and pain caused her to scream in hurt and anger. When I reached her and said, “Honey what happened?” She said, “A bad bee mama, a bad bee hurt me!”
I saw her little red and swollen finger. I picked her up and carried her into the house, using soothing tones to calm her down. I cleaned the finger, wrapped it in a Band-Aid and then we snuggled on the sofa, talking about her scary moment. Hugs, kisses and little Band-Aids go a very long way in healing a hurt finger.
Though this happened about 13 years ago, my daughter still remembers the shock of that wasp sting. She didn’t stop going to get the mail every day for me, but she did add a new habit to her routine. From that point on, she squatted and looked into the newspaper slot before reaching her hand in. When her little sister got old enough to look into the mailbox, my daughter got her in the habit of always looking first, always looking for wasps.
Our Bible verse tells us to focus on our self and to examine our soul diligently. We are the ones who are responsible to be sure that we remember the things we have seen, the ways that God has used our pain, the way that God has worked through our struggles. We are the ones who see that God has moved when it seemed impossible. We are the only ones responsible for our spiritual life, our relationship with God. We must be so careful about not only guarding it, but also cultivating it. Jesus told his disciples to watch and pray (Luke 21:36). Jesus knows how easily we can forget the truths of God. We are to walk with the Lord, clinging to his promises. We are to teach the truth to our children and our grandchildren.
Related, I love to hear of someone using their grandma's recipe. Why? Because something good is being shared with the next generation. Our faith should be just as sweet as grandma’s cookie recipe, it should be so important to us, that we diligently protect it, grow it and share it with the next generation.
Neither of my daughters have been stung by a wasp again. They have remembered to look diligently before reaching out. Our faith and our history of trust in God should also protect us from foolishly, blindly repeating the same reason for the pain.
Today, will you trust Him a little more, seek Him a little more and share Him a little more than you have ever done before? Will you join me in seeing that our relationship with the Lord is actively growing as we seek Him through His Word each and every day?
Tiffany Thibault enjoys living life with her husband, two teenage daughters and one very large dog. She homeschools her girls, and loves to write and speak about Jesus. She loves long walks, coffee and anything chocolate. You can find her over at www.TiffanyThibault.com.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington, Andrea Bocelli, Reba McEntire, Mark Wahlberg, Tony Dungy, and Matthew McConaughey—what do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their stories of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
Originally published Saturday, 17 September 2022.
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