I’m half asleep. The 10:00 news is wrapping up and I hear a girl tiptoe into our room. I pretend I’m sleeping. Madison whispers to Curt, “Dad, you know that bar that holds up the shower curtain in our bathroom? Can I hang on that?”

At least she asked permission. 

This is typical for our little gymnast. She does handstands in the living room. Cartwheels in the kitchen. Back-walkovers up the steps. And that’s all before leaving the house. Once we’re out and about, she spots opportunities everywhere. A narrow retaining wall makes a great balance beam. Tree limbs become uneven bars. You get the point. The world is her gymnasium.

It baffles me. This girl spends hours every week training at the gym. But does she get tired of it? Nope. Cartwheels, splits, handstands and flips are all part of her everyday life. Now, piano was a different story. She’d go to her lesson, but then she wouldn’t touch the piano the rest of the week. But gymnastics? She loves it. It’s woven into every area of her life. 

I think that’s how my relationship with God is supposed to be. He doesn’t want me to put my time in on Sunday morning, and then ignore Him the rest of the week. He wants to be part of every area of my life – and my children’s lives. Check out Deuteronomy 6:6-7: 

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

This doesn’t mean I have to beat my kids over the head with a Bible every minute of every day. We just need to include God in our everyday activities. If we keep our eyes open, we can spot Him everywhere.               

• While driving through the mountains of Colorado and rafting on a mighty river, we marveled at God’s power and creativity.
• When a serious car accident happened just a few feet in front of us, we talked about God’s protection and thanked Him for keeping us safe.
• When employees from Curt’s work volunteer to feed the homeless, Curt takes our girls along to help. 
• When God blesses us with something, we try to share it with others.

God doesn’t live in a church building. He is everywhere – in every area of our lives. As a parent, it’s my job to teach this truth to my kids. Now, if only I could teach Maddie to stop doing cartwheels in the kitchen!