Every night, after prayer time, we dismiss the kids to do their nightly bathroom routines.  As we sit in the living room and wait for them to come back, we hear every bit of conversation between the two of them that happens in the bathroom.  We hear the toilet flush, water turn on, singing, arguing…

My son has an electric toothbrush.  So, as they begin to brush their teeth, you can hear the whirring of it as he turns it on.  My daughter, who is younger, has a regular toothbrush.  One made for kids- you push a button and it lights up, and she’s supposed to keep brushing as long as the light stays on. Most nights, she stands there and imitates the noise that her brother’s toothbrush makes.  Same pitch, same frequency.    She makes the noise until she is done brushing. She thinks that the sound is the only difference between their brushes.

Until we get to the dentist. That’s when the true differences in the toothbrushes come out.

Many times in my life, I have felt like I was doing the right things.  I was making my whirring sounds, so to speak, mimicking what I thought I should be doing.  Going to church, giving my offering- you know, checking all the boxes.  I was getting by just fine, until my weaknesses were exposed.  Tests are meant to show us our weaknesses, right? And I was NOT ready.

So, how do we move past the ‘checking the boxes’ part of our Christian walk? Here are some things that I have learned… Stay grounded in the word.  Nothing will bolster your faith like reading a verse that speaks directly to you in your time of need.  Create space for God.  In Exodus and Leviticus, we read over and over again about how God’s desire was to dwell among his people.  Give him the space to dwell with you.  Talk to him regularly.  He wants to hear from you.  It doesn’t have to be some kind of poetic prayer.  Talk to him like he’s your friend.  He doesn’t want the flowery words- he wants your heart.  Love each other.  That is where you will emulate Christ the most.

~Shiney

y grouned Stasststa1. > ;lmd