Just get there

First day of CBS 2014
Jacob (3), Caleb (5), Levi (2), Abby (7)

Truly, I think I deserve an award for preserving this precious moment year after year. It is no small task to corral four strong-willed children for a picture on the way out the door to Bible study.

As a dear friend has reminded me, the devil hates Wednesday mornings. No other day of the week is more fraught with frustration, hair and wardrobe woes, bickering, and inevitable delays than the day I try to get everyone in the car and make it to Bible study on time.

And yet we press on, week after week and on into our eighth year of this. Because the study of God's word is one of the single most important things we do. And Community Bible Study is the best place we've found for my kids and myself to do it.

CBS teachers have sung "Jesus Loves Me" to each of my infants. They have prayed with my toddlers over animal crackers and tiny cups of water. They have helped my children memorize more Bible verses than I can count. And this year, they are leading my second grader through a junior version of the same study of Romans that I'm going through.

I do not take these privileges and blessings for granted. The devil hates Wednesday mornings, and I am fully aware of the weekly battle being waged in my kitchen.

"Get there," one of my CBS leaders once told me. "Just get there, whatever it takes."

The victory is ours. We will get there. Week after week, no matter what the enemy throws at us, we will get to Bible study, and my kids will hear of God's promises, and I will rest in His word.

The devil hates Wednesday mornings. And I am committed to doing whatever it takes to continue to make him mad.

And I'm bringing my kids with me.

(Yes, I am fully aware that my eldest son has worn a shark shirt on the first day of CBS six years in a row. And yes, I know he wore the same shark shirt this year that he wore last year. I think we all know how much he loves sharks. Even if he had other shirts, he probably wouldn't wear them on such an important day.)