When Bethie was little, I would worry about how much “spiritual” truth she could truly understand.  I’m always looking for concrete, visual ways to emphasize the truths of God.

 It’s one thing to read words- “Jesus loves me.”  another thing to hear “God is love.” but it’s explosively powerful to SEE and HEAR in a third dimensional sense …..Sight and Sound.  

3

With downs syndrome, abstract concepts are difficult to absorb so Jeff and I are constantly looking for opportunities to bombard Bethany’s senses.  It’s not enough to read a story about a horse- let’s go see one, pet one, feed one, and hopefully, ride one.  It’s not enough to watch PBS and see Handy Mandy building a house- I literally go look for construction work and point out cranes and bulldozers.  So when it comes to the Bible- one thing knew we had to do was to go to Branson and see Noah- the Musical.

I just wish I could have taken pictures of the girls faces during the performance.  Eyes popping wide, giggles and astonishment as animals ran into the ark; Amy & Bethany were mesmerized! The show started at 3:30 – a slight 10 min. intermission- and didn’t end until 6:00!  The actors, the animals, the sheer majestic backdrop of the story captivated their attention.  But the best part was listening to Bethany and Amy talk afterward about how people should have listened to Noah and got on the ark- how God wanted to follow Him and worship Him.

You know, I was thinking- the show was good but maybe a little on the cheesy side (only because of how slick and professional movies are in comparison)…the weekend was costly, the tickets weren’t inexpensive, we “lost” a Friday and Saturday, I came back tired…

.but the result was priceless.

Spiritual truth was visualized and played out. The thing that IMPACTED me about the play was Noah’s family.  What would it be like to work together on a common goal, with united faith, standing against evil and compelling people to come into the safety the Lord offers?  What an exciting calling for a family!

[Tweet “Build a #spiritual ark for your #family. #GodsLove #HopeintheStorm”]

In a culture where we have so many visual performances parading in front of our children- (tv-movies-commercials)  we need to wake up!

[Tweet “Are we willing to #spiritually #invest in our #children and #grandchildren? #priceless”]

Are we willing to put ourselves out and spiritually invest in our children and grandchildren?  Is that really so difficult?  I’m blown away that Noah and his family worked under criticism and scrutiny for 120 years! I think we do an intentional job of investing in our family in spiritual ways, but I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve heard toooo many episodes of I CARLY and FULL HOUSE!

I know I want to put something eternally beneficial into my children and grand-children’s hearts and minds!!!

I will have failed in life I do do not:

proclaim, share, rehearse, focus, show, magnify- the wonderful deeds of the Lord- His power in my life and the wonders He has done.

[Tweet “I will declare the power of the Lord to next #generation and all who are to come. #hope”]

Psalm 71:18  Even when I am old and gray- I will declare your power to the next generation- Your might to all who are to come.

Psalm 78:4  We will not hide them from our children- we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord- His power, and the wonders He has done

ONLY ONE LIFE –

ONE OPPORTUNITY-

ONE CHANCE-

to live and invest in the precious treasure God has blessed us with- our children and grandchildren.