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A Slow Stroll

As our house continues to get closer and closer to completion, I've begun just walking around the yard and property more some days just looking around and wondering what it all will look like when we get it finished and plant grass and do landscaping and all.  I've imagined the games and memories that will be made on these few acres.  It's amazing all of the small things that have been there for years I have now begun to notice. 

I've lived on this land with my family for over 30 years and been riding horses, go-carts, and four wheelers on it for most of those.  But now that a portion of it is mine, I've really slowed down and begun to see it in a new perspective.  I've thought about the history of it going back several generations.  I've looked at the details of the rolling hills, the trees, the vines, and all.  And I've imagined what it will be like over the next 30+ years as our family lives and grows here.  I've imagined the impact that living here will have on us and on those around us. 

Isn't the Bible similar to this for many of us.  I was raised in church so I've heard the stories in it for most of my life.  Much of it is pretty familiar to me.  Then, as I began to walk closer to God a few years ago, I even read through the Bible in a year.  This was much like riding the four wheeler around the fence lines.  You get to see everything and the big stuff really sticks out to you.  You even take notice of some of the small things that you know to look for. 

But eventually, our walk with God grows.  It becomes personal, and we begin to own it, much like when Dad deeded me a portion of the land.  It was now mine, and it meant more to me now than it was his.  When our faith becomes our own, and is no longer the faith of our parents, or grandparents, it gets real.  Instead of rushing through Bible lessons, we take our time walking through them, looking at all the details that God's Word has to offer. 

Don't rush God's Word, or his timing.  If your daily reading is short, spend more time meditating on those few verses and let them become your own.  Slow down, and take the time to notice the many small treasures scattered throughout the Bible.  I have a feeling I'll never memorize every hill and tree on our land, nor will I ever memorize every verse in the Bible.  But I will try to slow down and think about the history of it, what we can do with it now, and what the future may hold.

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