Kids and Bible verses.

Put them together and you’re rarely at a loss for smiles.   There’s just something about hearing young voices quote Scripture. 

That’s one reason we’re such huge fans of the Awana program.  Nothing like hiding God’s word in their hearts at a young age.  Truth is, though I still memorize Scripture, it’s a bit harder at my age.  And I must confess, the verses that I can recall the most reliably these days are those that I learned in Awana as a kid.

Our daughter and her husband are doing a great job of raising their four kids—and Awana is a big part of that.  Lucy is four and in the Cubbies program.  Recently, she worked on memorizing Psalm 139:14, “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Lucy’s mom did what all good moms do: sat down and helped Lucy commit that verse to memory. They used several creative tools.

They looked at Lucy’s baby book and saw picture after picture showing how tiny she once was, and how God had caused her to grow so beautifully. Then they reviewed the verse together.  The “Donut Man,” Rob Evans, has recorded a song about this passage, so naturally, they gave it a listen.  Again they were reminded, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Finally, Mom asked Lucy, “Can you say your memory verse now, ‘hon?”

This is what came out of her little girl’s mouth: “I am awesome and wonderful.”  That’s it.

You’re smiling, right?  Me, too.  Call it the “New Lucy Translation.”  Actually, it’s not a bad rendering—so long as we keep in mind any of our awesomeness and wonderfulness is really the fingerprint of the Almighty. 

Say—how’s your Bible memory plan working out?  You do have one, don’t you?  You say, “Well…I’m just no good at memorizing the Bible.”

Nonsense!  God gave you a great mind and a great Book for a great purpose.  You are, after all, “awesome and wonderful.”  Just ask Lucy.