God surprised me this trip in how He used vacationing with Scripture in our lives….well, actually the adults’ lives!  Most of what I do in parenting with Scripture is designed to help teach my kids.  And yet, because God’s Word knows no boundaries of age, I’m often impacted as much or more than my children (which shouldn’t be surprising!).  Such was the case this spring break.

You may remember that a few weeks ago, I shared that my son picked Philippians 4:6-7 as our verse for this trip.  My daughter decorated this card to take along with us as a reminder.  See here about picking a verse and then here and here if you wish to read about our past experiences with vacationing with Scripture.

As we started our 14.5 hour trek from Dallas, TX to Keystone, Colorado, we discussed the verse and how it might apply.  We prayed for travel mercies, health, and safety on the slopes, thanking God as the verse instructs.  But honestly, the verse card sat on the dash and then in our condo, unmentioned for the rest of the week.  It wasn’t until the night before we left that this Scripture became truly alive for me.  We had been watching the weather carefully, knowing that a snowstorm would be hitting our area of the mountains early in the morning.  We decided to leave by 5 AM to try to get out before it started.  I lay in bed that night, unable to sleep, fretting about driving in potentially hazardous conditions.  That’s when Philippians 4:6-7 popped back into my mind.  What a comfort to have a way to work through what we are struggling with through the power of God’s Word!  I followed the instructions in the verse and was able to fall asleep in peace.  I woke up early the next morning and was relieved to see no flurries as I peaked out the window. 

However, as we began descending through the mountain passes in the pre-dawn hours, this was our view out the front windshield. 

During the hour of driving through this on windy, slick roads, I again claimed our vacation verse.  Over and over and over.  It reminded me to be thankful for the snow, as it was the very thing that we drove all the way to Colorado to enjoy!  And enjoy it we had throughout the preceding week. 

13 hours later as we were heading back into the Dallas area, I asked the kids if they had thought about our theme verse at all that week.  Nope.  But, my sister-in-law who was riding with us, and I certainly had!  I shared with the kids my reason to claim the verse and my sister-in-law shared with us a completely different one.  Her daughters (my sweet nieces and my children’s adored older cousins) are both the furthest they’ve ever been away from home and looking for jobs in industries that are a bit precarious.  Turns out, she had been leaning on our trip verse the whole week as she walked through the ups and downs of the job hunt updates with them. 

She and I discussed with the kids how this is a perfect example of why it’s good to hide God’s Word in our heart through memorization…it’s there when we need it!  And, we reminded them that though Mr. 9 year old picked the verse, it was the mommas who needed it this go ’round..reinforcing the point that we don’t outgrow God’s Word!

A few nights later, during our family devotional, I was reminded of our trip verse came up once again.   Our Lenten Tree book reminded us of the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness to turn stones into bread.  I asked the kids if they remembered how Jesus fought back?  His Father’s Words…Scripture!  We can do that, too!  Since my son seems to think and often act as if he lives in an adventure movie, anything related to action appeals to him.  I reminded my kiddos about the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and how the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God!  We can fight with it just like Jesus did! 

Whack!  Whoosh!  Slice!  Jab!  “Take that, worry!  Be gone, anxiety!”  I exclaimed as I wielded my invisible sword representing Philippians 4:6-7.  That’s what it feels like to use Scripture in a real life battle!

When we are faithful to be in His Word, we will surely be blessed by having it on our hearts and minds. 

To find topical Scriptures, don’t forget to look in your copy of
Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments.

We sat down for our family devotional and I handed Parenting with Scripture to Jake (9 years old) and instructed him to pick a topic for us to discuss.  He decided flip the book open and go with whatever came up.  When he looked at the topic and saw, “Fighting,”  he pumped his fist and yelled “YES!”   LOL!  Boys!  I told Jake’s karate teacher the other day that I think he wishes his life was one big action movie!  Hmmmm…could the Bible live up to his high hopes for an action-packed family devotional?  Indeed it could!  After going through the first few discussion questions listed with references to Scripture on not fighting, we got to what the Bible says we can fight! 

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  1 Timothy 6: 12

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  2 Corinthians 10:4

Oooooo, weapons!  What are those weapons?  Tim looked up the “armor of God” and we pretended to put each of the parts on as he read. 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Ephesians 6:10-17

Makes me grin to think how God knew just what my little boy needed to hear that night! 

If you are looking for a family devotional, don’t forget Parenting with Scripture as a topical option.