My wife and I recently enjoyed a two-week visit, from the USA, by our favourite granddaughter (the other grandchildren are male) and her daughter – our first great-grandchild. Miss P is referred to as our “miracle baby” as she was born at 24 weeks weighing only 14.5 ounces. Now approaching her fourth birthday she has challenges to face but is one of the happiest children I have met, though human enough to be upset sometimes.
In preparation for their visit, we acquired a few items including a book about “My two eyes”. What amazed me was that Miss P had an insatiable desire to listen to it being read to her. Having it read by one adult, she then moved to the next and appeared in her element when the number of adults increased from the three regulars with the arrival of visitors. Visiting family recently, she was thrilled when one “Great Aunt” read it three times without the need to find another volunteer!
There were times, when I was challenged as to my love for hearing parts of the Bible being read to me, usually in a church setting. I recall on more than one occasion, in the past, reacting adversely when the speaker announced he was to preach from a very familiar Bible passage. Usually, I ended up feeling a little guilty having learned something new.
I learned a lot from our two visitors, but perhaps the main lesson was to appreciate that not only do I have a variety of Bible translations on my phone, but I need to love and appreciate every time I hear the Bible read. After all, even at my age, I am constantly amazed at new lessons learned from familiar Bible passages.