Garden of Grace

Recently I caught myself in a new habit: playing a game on my phone to avoid the incredibly weird and crazy world happening right now. I started with just a few minutes a day but soon was playing every chance I got; I was hooked. It's such an easy way to get away from pandemic fears, political nonsense, and the illogical if not irrational thinking that is so pervasive these days.

Clearly the enemy had, little by little, begun to take over my time and my attention. It seemed like such a harmless thing, planting flowers and landscaping a virtual garden. Ironically, not only did my virtual garden grow but also my time away from the real world. And this flimsy, empty game was where I turned to "get away from it all".

And then God began to whisper to my heart. If my world really turned upside down, what would that game do for me? Instead of spending time on this game, what would happen if I began to earnestly and systematically hide His Word in my heart? What if, when the world turned upside down, I had Him to comfort me and remind me of His love because His Word was buried in my heart and mind. Genuine joy and peace. Everlasting hope.

So I deleted the game. And I printed out a list of one hundred scripture verses I want to memorize. Instead of burying myself in a pretend garden, I am going to bury God's Word in my heart so that - no matter what comes - I have His words of love and hope and peace always with me. Instead of flowers blooming in a fake space, scripture can grow in my heart. Real. Lasting. Eternal.