There’s a devotion book on the trashcan in my garage.
That’s a very strange place for a devotion book, isn’t it?!

The reason it is there is because of these verses in the Bible:

“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates…”
Deuteronomy 11:18-20

In this passage, God is enlightening the Israelites as to what they should do with their knowledge of Him, and that is to SHARE IT. God desires that the act of sharing about Him is so wonderful, and necessary, that it becomes a part of our daily lives. He also designates that it should be shared with our children, meaning those in the generation behind us.

That’s why there’s a devotion book. In my garage. On a trashcan.

Let me explain–last year, we drove our twins to school, so we had the devotion book in our car to be read aloud on the way to school. Following the reading, we took turns praying over our day. Now, the twins ride the bus to school in the morning. So, we wait by the garage.

You see where this is going, don’t you?

I’ve learned the hard way about placing objects on my car’s bumper. I drove all the way to our veterinarian’s office with our cordless phone on the bumper. Anyone who knows my style of driving, knows that it’s a bon-a-fide miracle that phone was still on the bumper when we got home. (I didn’t notice it until the next time the home phone rang, which is rare these days.)

So, since the bumper is not a safe place, and I didn’t want it to be on the floor, the trashcan it is. The point is, set yourself up for success. Place God’s Word or devotion books where they can be utilized in opportune moments. As a young family, if we are to teach our children when we sit, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, when we get up, and might I add, when we wait for the school bus, then this is how we do it.

Yesterday, following the reading of that days’ particular devotion, my daughter said that she’s glad we have this routine, because there was an event in her day where she was able to draw comfort from the words we read that morning, which described an attribute of our loving God who cares for us.

I would encourage you to incorporate this idea into your daily routine and to set yourself up for success for conversations about Jesus. If that book was not at arm’s reach at the bus stop, I can attest that reading it wouldn’t happen. Reading scripture is a great way to begin a morning prayer time, and what better way for my kids to begin their school day, literally steps before loading the bus, than spending time with Jesus?

So, if you see “Jesus Calling for Kids” on my trashcan, know that it is not trash.  🙂IMG_4594