NOVEMBER 7, Psalm 119:103

Owen sighed and poked at his half-eaten piece of pie. “Nothing tastes good,” he told his mother. “I wish my tongue would quit feeling so funny.” Owen had been to the dentist earlier that day and one side of his mouth had been numbed so it wouldn’t hurt when the dentist drilled his tooth. Mom chuckled. “Give it more time. There are lots of taste buds on your tongue and when the dentist numbed your mouth, the shot numbed those taste buds, too. Why don’t you save the pie till later? You’ll enjoy it more then.”

Owen nodded, got up, put the pie in the refrigerator and prepared to leave. “It’s a little early for you to leave for your Bible study, isn’t it?” asked Mom.

Owen shrugged. “Can I please skip it today? I want to play with the guys,” he answered. Mom frowned. “Spiritual taste buds numbed, too?” she asked. Owen stopped, and looked at his mother. “I don’t know what you mean,” he said.

“Well, I remember that you used to be quite excited about Bible study,” replied Mom. “You said it was wonderful to learn God’s Word and you’d come home and tell me about the lesson and what you have learnt about God and what He expects from us as His children. Remember?”

Owen nodded. “I still like Bible study,” he said, “but there are so many other times to do that…” He paused and thought, “Mom may be right. Maybe my spiritual taste buds are numb.

“I think so,” said Mom. She smiled at Owen. “The numbness in your mouth will soon go away by itself, but we have to work at getting over spiritual numbness. A good way to start is to get back into God’s Word.”

Thought: Do you enjoy learning about God? Or have your spiritual taste buds been numbed by such things as TV programs, games, personal hobbies or homework?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the warning that my spiritual senses may be numbed. I pray that I’ll read my JRPG and Bible and learn to love the Bible more! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.