hand-mouth coordination, and word-heart coordination

i was just reading Joshua Hughes' blog. i have been thinking a lot today about my failures. and this blog kinda encouraged me. i have been feeling like my faith isn't where it should be, but i have been making some small changes, and hopefully it will start to soak into my heart and start changing me from the inside out. let me share his blog post with you:

Spiritual Disciplines and Gerber Puffs

Reagan, our eight month old, just started on solid foods recently. Her favorite things are Gerber puffs. If you are unfamiliar with these little wonders, they are like tiny cereal bites that dissolve quickly in baby mouths. They are small enough for her little uncoordinated fingers to pick up and eat.

She hasn’t quite gotten it down yet.

Last night I watched with rapt attention as time after time she took the puffs in her hand only to lose them between the high chair tray and her little mouth. Our dog enjoys this very much as she is the benefactor of Reagan’s many failed attempts.

In Luke 4 when Jesus is tempted by Satan after 40 days of fasting to turn stones into bread, he famously quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The word as food is a powerful illustration for obvious reasons. As the human body cannot be sustained without food, so the Christian soul cannot be sustained without God’s word.

The Bible is to be treasured, consumed and sought after like the very food that keeps us alive. But sometimes it’s just not so simple. Certainly, there are seasons when I do take in the word as easily and consistently as I do my daily bread. But sometimes, I am like my sweet little Reagan, struggling to put hand to mouth, battling my inability to achieve what I desire, laboring to obtain my reward.

In those times when it’s difficult, I want to be encouraged by my daughters example. Reagan is not deterred by her failures; she keeps at it until the tray is empty and every puff is either in her mouth or on the floor. And every time she does it, there are a few less puffs on the carpet (much to the dog’s chagrin). She is getting better. Eating solids is becoming more of a lifestyle for her. And so it is for us as God’s children; the more we discipline ourselves to fight through the discouragement, to talk to ourselves more than we listen to ourselves, the more Scripture comes alive to us as fewer and fewer of God’s words end up on the carpet next to us, but rather find their way into our souls…

...Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.
Jeremiah 15:16

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i think my favorite part is when he is talking about God's word and how after we keep trying and trying again, it will stop falling by the wayside and start making it's way into our hearts. praise be to God for that! i'm so thankful for how He's given me a heart that is seeking His word more and more. Lord, let me not be satisfied with mediocrity, but let me move toward You, so that You might move the veil and reveal more of Yourself to me.