I found today’s devotion quite fitting after yesterday, and it comes from one of my favorite bloggers, Jodie Bailey. I visit her site weekly. Her “Word Wednesday” has become one of the highlights of my week, and to be honest, many of her posts could have made it to my top 20 of 2010! Ah, so many great bloggers, so little time!

As a mom, today’s devotion touches me deeply. My greatest desire, my deepest longing for our daughter, is that she walks hand-in-hand with her Savior. To be honest, nothing else matters because if her heart is connected to God, everything else will fall into place. At thirteen, I still tuck her in each night. I crawl into bed with her, she curls up next to me, resting her head on my shoulder, as I read the Bible. Last night, after our reading, she talked about a period of time when she experienced bad dreams and shared how sleeping with the Bible made her feel safe. (Some kids have teddy bears. She’d curl up with God’s Word. Seriously. Which probably explains the creased pages and torn cover.)

Bible reading has become our nightly routine. A very special routine, one that we both make time for, even now that she’s entered her teen years. And all those years of snuggling together with God’s Word has impacted us both. It’s knit our hearts together with a Divine thread that, I believe, will continue to hold throughout her adult years. Hopefully, trickling into the hearts of her future children as well.

Every once in awhile as I rest my chin upon her head, the Bible spread between us, I allow myself to dream of the day when she holds her children in her arms, God’s Holy Word spread between them.

Today’s devotion was first posted on Jodie Bailey’s personal website on October 20, 2010 and it comes from her Word Wednesday, taken from II Kings 13:21.

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II Kings 13:21 (NIV)–Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.

No one would argue that Elisha was an amazing prophet, a mighty man of God.  The Spirit of God rested on him so mightily that even after his death, God still worked through him.  See, there was nothing particularly special about Elisha’s bones.  He was just a man.  The power came from God and God alone. Do you know what I think God is saying here?  Even death can’t stop the work God does, and death doesn’t necessarily mean the end of God’s work through us.

My Aunt Shirley was in her mid-forties when she died of cancer.  I spent years angry with God because He chose not to save her.  To this day, I struggle with it, but that’s another story for another day.  See, God showed me something.  My aunt died with amazing grace (which was–no pun intended–her favorite song).  She hated to leave her husband and her son, but she knew exactly where she was going and who she was going to see when she got there.  She honestly looked forward to seeing Jesus.

Her death was not an end.  It’s been nearly fifteen years, and I still hear people speak of her relationship with Jesus, of the joy and strength and peace she carried until her final breath.  I hear people talk about how she inspired them to draw closer to him.  I know of at least one person who gave their life to Christ because of her example.  God used her in life, and He uses her still in death.  Her death was not an end of her life, but the beginning of a  legacy.  Folks, God doesn’t waste anything.  Think about it.

Care to share your favorite verse from II Kings?  Would love to hear from you in the comments below or in a link to your blog.  Looking forward to hearing from you!

-JB

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And here’s another post Jodie wrote that nearly made it. Shhh…listen closely. God’s talking to you.

A bit about Jodie:

The Boring (her words, not mine!):  Jodie Bailey was Playwright of the Year in Methodist University’s annual Hail! Dionysus competition and has written plays performed by the Monarch Playmakers. She has been published in Teen magazine and collaborated on PWOC International’s latest Bible study. She has a B.A. double major in English literature and writing, and an M.Ed. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, the Christian Writers Guild, and Middle Tennessee Christian Writers. She lives in Tennessee with her husband and daughter.

Or the fun:  Jodie Bailey is an avid reader, a life-long writer, and an aspiring beach bum.  She is a stubborn child who resisted God’s calling for two decades until He hit her over the head with a Beth Moore Bible Study book, and she finally figured out He wanted her to be a writer.  When not tapping away at the keyboard, she watches NCIS reruns, eats too many chocolate chip cookies, wishes she were at the beach, roughhouses with her daughter, and follows her Army husband around the country.

Remember to keep your eye out for your fav devo! At the end of the month, I’ll tally up each “like”, comment, fb share, and tweet, and will announce the top 3 of 2010! (I should mention, my comments and comments made by the authors of the posts will not be included in the final tally.)

And now it’s your turn to share. What’s a faith tradition you hope your children will pass down to their children?