By Lisa Maples
When the school year approaches, the new beginning can create excitement, feel heavy, or fall somewhere in between. The school day starts with eating breakfast, brushing teeth, then exiting with bookbags and lunchboxes, but something can be left out: training our minds to think about God’s Word.
Meditating on words from the Bible blesses us according to Ps. 1:1–2. The first word in the book of Psalms is “Blessed,” referring to those who delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on His law day and night. As a mom and teacher, I can attest to the blessing of reading the Bible and praying over my children as well as for our family, our needs, and the needs of others. I can guarantee that something will attempt to rob us of our joy, so it must be growing properly at home. We can develop in how to replace the lies that attack us with the truth found in God’s Word.
If I plan time to meditate and pray, then I am blessed “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither” (Ps. 1:3). Every time I read His Word, it sends nourishment to my body and mind. 2 Peter 3:18 reminds us that the goal is “to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The path to growth requires planting ourselves in God’s truth and His wisdom.