Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Traffic and pocket Bibles

Every morning Claudia, my 4 year old has to be at school at 7:30am. She started pre-k which apparently is the new kindergarten. She has homework everyday and is quickly picking up Spanish as that is the language spoken at her school.

We live about 4 minutes away from her school with no traffic. But traffic here in the mornings is HORRIBLE, it takes me 50 minutes round trip. Most of that traffic is standstill. There are so many cars, so many people, so many schools in such a small area. You just have to patiently wait your turn to creep up slowly to the school and then scoot your child quickly out the car door. And be very careful not to hit your side mirrors with other passing cars as you twist and turn your car to fit through too narrow streets, lined with illegally parked cars.

I don't like wasted time, so I take a small New Testament pocket Bible with me and read and pray the Psalms as I sit and inch my car along.

The other day I pulled my pocket Bible out of the glove box and looked at the cover. A picture of Jesus sitting on a mountain side preaching looks back at me. I remember when I got that Bible! My mother took me to a Christian book store and let me pick out whatever I wanted. She loved to buy me Christian reading material, she said it was a good investment.

That day I picked the pocket Bible and took it with me on our Orlando vacation. Early mornings sitting on the balcony I would read, then later share with my mom that great finds I came across.

While sitting in the car the other day reading, it dawned on me that almost every single Bible I own was bought by my mom. All different sizes, covers, translations, and study Bibles.

The loss of my mom has left a gaping hole in my heart. I ache, I miss her, tears don't do justice to the pain. But while looking at that pocket Bible, I realized my mom gave me something that can never be taken away from me, never lost, never die and slowly it's filling up that gaping hole. It's the living Word of God!

Wow! What an investment she made! One that will pay off big time! It's as if she always knew I'd need all those Bibles. While she isn't here to guide me in my adulthood, she gave me something that can!

2 comments:

Kate said...

Dear Jennifer,

How special that your mom made sure that you had to word always at hand. Sounds like she did that for your kids as well.

God is so good to give us moms--may her memory continue to minister to you.

Love,

Kate.

Anonymous said...

What a lovely, lovely post . . . and what a great example for you as a mom. Bless you Jen!