An Unexpected Treasure

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.

Impress them on your children.

Deut. 6: 6, 7 NIV

Downsizing required sorting multiple boxes of yellowed childhood treasures. The task felt daunting. One item, though, made the experience worth the effort—a folded piece of manila paper with a title scribed by a child. “Prays and Verses.” The contents held prayers and Bible verses cut from a booklet and taped haphazardly onto the pages. The back page revealed the author—me! I left it out for later pondering, hoping to reclaim some memory of this project.

A surprise visit from my granddaughter gave new life to that little “Prays and Verses” booklet. I learned the granddaughter had been angry about not being allowed to join in her sister’s activities that evening.

“Well,” I said, “We all get upset when we’re disappointed. Disappointment is just a part of life, but getting angry is not the best way to express disappointment.”

Caroline considered my casual comment. To my surprise, she then announced, “I need some Bible verses to help me with that!”

I showed her my little “Prays and Verses” booklet. She carefully turned the fragile pages while reading each verse. Caroline then decided to create her own version which included her unique system for folding paper into a booklet.

The picture I took of my granddaughter holding my “Prays and Verses” in one hand and her newly created “Good Verses to Remember” booklet in the other reminded me of Deuteronomy 6:6, 7. “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children, talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Caroline continues to copy Bible verses into homemade paper booklets. I hope her mom tucks them away so that one day, when Caroline is downsizing memorabilia from her own life, she’ll rediscover her “Bible Verse Booklet” and proudly show it to her own granddaughter—living out one more generation of Deuteronomy 6:6, 7.

Father, thank You for intertwining the daily activities of life with opportunities to influence those we love. Keep me sensitive to Your heart and those moments awaiting in the days ahead.

Linda Lesniewski