Illuminated Trees

Posted on June 22, 2026 by S. J. Little

With a sigh, I sank into the rocking chair in the quiet room.

What a busy day. The older kids were finally in bed and nearly asleep now.

Alone for the first time all day, I let my eyes scan the scene out my window. The sky behind the house tops and trees carried the deep blue of a recent rainstorm.

My gaze shifted to the room around me as I turned to prayer for discernment regarding an allegory to write next.

When I turned back to the window, the trees caught my attention. They glowed!

The sinking sun behind my house shone brilliantly on the trees, making them stand out vividly against the dark sky.

Just like that, I had an allegory to write. (This one that you are reading now.)

Those trees, so ordinary to me because I saw them every day, stood out now in unmistakable beauty.

I noticed one of the many chimneys visible from my window glowing in stunning sharpness. The rest of the chimneys remained their typical grey and steel.

I pulled out my phone to record these thoughts.

When I paused to look out the window again, lower clouds had drifted into view. They were illuminated against the dark clouds.

An airplane flew by, gleaming in the sunshine.

What a lovely scene.

A few minutes later, the trees faded into typical shades, boring compared to what they had just been. Yet the sky behind them shone cheery pink in the setting sun’s rays.

So what is the allegory, you may be wondering.

To me, this scene of stunning contrast is a picture of how God so often speaks through the Bible.

As someone who has read the entire Bible many times, no passage is brand new to me.

Just like the trees outside my window, the Bible stories, at first glance, are normal.

I should mention that, on the average day, it is not uncommon for my husband and I to comment to each other how pleasant the scene outside our window is with trees and sky, chimneys and airplanes. That said, it is very routine for me to see this scene.

Likewise, reading God’s Word is precious and wonderful, an incredible privilege. Yet I have read it before. It isn’t shiny new.

This evening, however, looking out the window, those trees looked new. They stood out stunningly in the brilliant light of the evening sun.

So often, this is how God speaks through His Word, the Bible. He shines His “Son-shine,” if you will, on a passage making it jump from the page in a way I’ve never noticed before.

The passage comes alive.

If I never took the time to look out the window, and left the blinds closed, I would not see the illuminated trees.

If I never took the time to read the Bible, but left it closed on the shelf, I would miss what God wants to say to me through it.

If I only ever approached the window as a to-do task – to clean the window pane and wipe the dust from the sill – I would very possibly miss seeing the beautiful scene outside.

If I only ever read the Bible to check it off my to-do list, I may or may not notice what God is wanting to say to me.

Indeed there are many days when my Bible reading feels like no more than a task to get done. (This is far better than not opening it at all.)

But what if today, I remember to pause as I go to open my Bible, to ask God to tune my heart to His by teaching me something as I read the Bible.

It may not be fireworks or lightning, but far more often than not, if I slow down, turning my attention towards God as I open the Bible, He has something to teach me.

Oftentimes it is a gentle reminder, or sometimes a new depth of understanding. Occasionally it is a vivid instruction.

Yet how would I hear and learn unless I opened the Bible and began to read?

Likewise, how would I have seen the brilliant trees outside my window, if I had left the curtains closed?

“Your word is a lamp for my feet
and a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 CSB

Today, may I make time to seek God through reading the Bible. He will meet me there.

If you are new to reading the Bible, I highly recommend starting with the book of John.

If you are looking for a Bible reading plan, or simply a way to record which chapters you’ve read, I encourage you to print out a copy of my DIY Bible Reading Plan. It’s free for my subscribers. (Already subscribed? Click the Free Downloads link in your email and then scroll down until you find the Bible reading plan).

Newborns Crave Milk

Posted on June 30, 2022 by S. J. Little

I open my eyes at the sound of stirring in the bassinet beside me. A cry escapes my baby, and then another.

Yawning, I glance at the clock – 5:45 am.

I pull myself out of bed and pick up my little one.

Carrying her through the dim hallway to the living room, I talk to her.

“Did you have a good sleep? Are you hungry again?”

Her eyes drift into sleep, but then scrunch as her cries resume with renewed force.

I settle myself on the couch to nurse her.

As she feeds, my eyes droop dangerously. I shake my head to ward off the drowsiness.

I calculate back to the last time I fed her. I have managed an hour and a half of sleep since then.

When my baby finishes nursing, she sprawls in a milk coma, limp and asleep.

Gratefully, I gingerly carry her back to the bassinet before slipping into my own bed.

I glance at the clock. It’s just after 6:00 am.

My baby will have time to be awake and play later, but for now I pull my blankets snug and let my eyes close.

A short cry wakes me. I hear stirrings beside me.

I glance at the clock – 7:45 am.

Laying still, I listen as the stirrings increase until the cry resumes.

Pushing aside the blankets, I stretch. Time to feed the baby again.

Lifting my crying baby, I head toward the living room again. At least this time I feel more awake.

In 1 Peter 2:2, we read, “Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation,…” (CSB)

How often do newborns crave milk? Do they only want to eat once a week on Sundays? Or perhaps once a day?

No. A newborn baby is likely to want to eat every 2-3 hours, resulting in eight feeds a day.

This leads me to ask myself the question: “How often do I crave the Word of God?”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 tells me what this can look like.

“These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.” (CSB)

I know I have much room for growth in this area.

Newborns crave milk with a passion. When hungry, they zealously plea to be satisfied.

Their hunger is not some passive, “I can do that later.”

They exclaim, “I need food now!”

How urgent is my desire to be in the Bible? How often do I ponder the things of God?

I have one last thought to share before I wrap up this post. For it I must return to 1 Peter.

If I back up one verse to 1 Peter 2:1, I read, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.” (CSB)

I am to rid myself of these ungodly things to help free me up to desire the Word of God.

I’ve noticed something similar in my baby.

Milk goes in and poo comes out. When the poo gets delayed and doesn’t come out for several days, it seems her appetite drops due to lack of space in her little belly.

Then comes the moment when she empties out her poo (and we hope the diaper contains it all). Once that’s done, she is ravenously hungry. Why? Because she has space again.

(Please note I am not a doctor or nurse, but simply a mom making observations and guessing at the reasons behind them.)

I suspect similar is true for me.

In order for me to rightly desire to be in the Word, in a way comparable to a baby desiring milk, my heart must be right. If my heart is full of envy or deceit, it will have no room to ponder the things of God.

Do not misunderstand. This is not a matter of salvation. Being saved and born again is a free gift from God. (To read more about this good news, check out The Gospel.)

This, rather, is talking to those who are already saved (see 1 Peter 2:3). It is referring to how I am to be growing toward maturity in my walk with the Lord (see 1 Peter 2:2b).

So how is my intake of the Bible doing? How often am I making room in my heart to feast on the very Word of God? How often do my thoughts revolve around the things of God?

Not as often as I would like.

Lord, help me to desire more of Your Word and to be intentional to make time to read and ponder it.

Steady Ready Stance

Posted on February 23, 2021February 23, 2021 by S. J. Little

How we stand is important. Nearly every sport has a specific ready stance – a way of standing that improves performance. Many other activities also benefit from having a steady stance. What about my walk with God? Am I standing in a steady ready stance? Boy in ready pose

Recently, as I watered the plants on my windowsills, I found myself thinking about stance. I have plants on four different windowsills in my house. As I watered them this time, I didn’t spill when watering the plants on three of the windows. On the fourth window, however, I accidentally poured some of the water onto the windowsill… again. As I wiped the spilled drops with a towel, I asked myself why it was that the plants on this particular windowsill seem to be the only ones that, when watering, I frequently spill.

The flower pots on the fourth window are identical to the flower pots on the other windows. Therefore, the type of flower pot couldn’t be the problem. I was using the same container to water them and the container was filled to a comparable level as when I watered the other plants. So what was the difference?

Then it dawned on me. My stance was different. The angle at which I approached the flower pots on the fourth window was different from the other three windows. I didn’t have a clear path to the fourth window, so my stance was unusual. My stance wasn’t steady. It forced my arm to a weird angle as I attempted to pour water into the pots.

Once I cleared the path to the windowsill, enabling a better stance, I had less problem with spilling as I watered.

This got me thinking about how important good stances are.

Growing up, I played ringette for many years. (If you don’t know what ringette is, picture ice hockey and you’ll be close.) Early on, they taught us the ready stance. The ready stance involved keeping knees bent and hands on the ringette stick poised for action.

(For those unfamiliar with this ready stance – often refered to as the “hockey stance” – here’s a quick video example.)

From this stance, it is easy to skate toward the action with a burst of speed. If, on the other hand, I were to stand tall and cross my arms while I waited for the action to start, I would be caught off balance. I would likely stumble and fall. Even if I didn’t fall, I would lose valuable seconds as my opponent got to the ring first. Elite ringette or hockey players will frequently be spotted in the ready stance.

Hockey goalie is ready

Then I began playing goalie for my ringette team. Again there was a ready stance, but this one was different. The ready stance for goalies involves keeping the blade of the goalie stick flat on the ice, and their legs ready to go down in a butterfly at a moment’s notice. Despite the difference in this particular stance, the same principles apply. The goal of the ready stance is to be able to jump into action at the blink of an eye without being caught off balance or flat-footed.

Think of martial arts or volleyball or basketball or track and field. They all have ready stances specific to the needs of the sport. On your marks, get set, go!

Think of martial arts or volleyball or basketball or racers. They all have ready stances specific to the needs of the sport. On your marks, get set, go!

Other activities also benefit from having a good stance.

When walking on ice, having a steady stance is important. Those experienced with walking in icy conditions learn tricks in how to move their feet and legs that help them stay upright. When climbing a ladder, using a good stance keeps the person from falling or toppling the ladder. When lifting a heavy box, using the right stance protects the person from back injuries.

Stance is important in many areas of life. Stance is also important in my walk with the Lord.

The Bible talks about a steady ready stance from which to approach life. This stance is especially helpful when life gets tricky.

What is that stance? Well, first off, much of the Bible is filled with instructions and examples of what my stance ought to be (or ought not to be). Therefore, if I want to understand the full picture of the stance God desires for me to have, I must be reading the Bible – the whole Bible – regularly.

However, to keep this post short, I will focus on two aspects of the Christian stance: faith and readiness.

2 Corinthians 5:7 reminds us that: “we walk by faith, not by sight.”

What is faith? Taking God at His Word. To walk in faith is to trust and obey God. Faith gives steadiness to our stance. (For examples of what faith looks like, read Hebrews 11.)

The second aspect of my stance ought to be a readiness.

“Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear…” (1 Peter 3:15b-16a HCSB)

My stance is to be a ready stance – ready to explain what I believe.

What does this look like? Many examples exist in the book of Acts of godly individuals using the opportunities they had to share about Jesus.

Truth be told, my stance is not always one of readiness and faith. How can I change that? By being intentional to know God and His Word.

We are told that the Bible is “able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:15b-17 HCSB)

Keep in mind that the Christian stance is not just about head knowledge. The closer I am walking with God, living according to His Word, the more my stance will be one of faith and readiness.

So how is my stance doing? Have I stopped to consider it recently, or am I too caught up in the busyness of life? Am I off-balance and flat-footed? Or am I steady and ready for action, walking close with my Lord?

What Shall I Guard?

Posted on October 26, 2020 by S. J. Little

A few days ago, I needed to do some spray painting. I gathered old cardboard, the little flower pots I planned to paint, and the spray paint can.

I switched into old jeans and a t-shirt and took my watch off to keep it clean.

Outside, I set everything up. Then I looked at my phone.

I was expecting a text soon to which I’d need to reply. Therefore, I couldn’t leave the phone inside and miss the message. However, I certainly didn’t want to get paint on my phone!

I slipped it into my back pocket. That wouldn’t work. The pocket was too short leaving part of the phone exposed.

Pulling it out, I studied my phone. One end of the phone had the cameras and the headphone jack. Paint on the main camera would prevent me from taking pictures, but I often enjoy using my phone camera. Spray paint over the reverse camera would make Zoom calls impossible. Not good. As for the headphone jack, I don’t use headphones often, but losing the option wouldn’t be favourable. Therefore, I slipped the phone back into my pocket with the camera side down. That would keep it safe. Cell phone charging

But wait! The part of the phone now exposed was the power cord plug-in! That would never do. If the phone can’t be charged, then none of its functions would be usable!

Reluctantly, I switched it the other way around. Now the power plug-in was protected. I would be disappointed if the camera got damaged, but I owned a different camera I could use. What I wouldn’t have was a working cell phone if this one died.

Thankfully, I didn’t get any paint on my phone. I was paying enough attention to not touch it when my fingers were sticky with paint.

The lesson

Why do I recount this little story? Because there is a lesson here for me.

Similarly to how I needed to choose which part of my phone to protect, I must choose every day what parts of life I protect the most.

To some people, taking the time to think about which way to put my phone in my pocket may seem excessively cautious and pointless. Likewise, I sometimes neglect to put thought into what I want to prioritize in my life. It seems unnecessary to take time to think about prioritizing when I could be using that time to accomplish something instead.

The challenge is, like with my phone’s power plug-in, if I fail to guard the most important parts of my life, everything else will suffer.

So what parts of my life should I guard?

What the Bible tells us to guard

To find the answer, I did some research. I searched for the word “guard” in the Bible. Here are some of the verses I found.

I must be sure the way I am living does not involve evil.

“The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life.” (Proverbs 16:17 ESV)

What do I use to help keep my way pure and good? The Bible.

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your Word.” (Psalm 119:9 ESV)

My heart needs tending to as well.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)

Here’s something I must guard against.

“[Jesus] said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'” (Luke 12:15 ESV)

What’s the highest priority?

Okay, but which is most important? With my phone, the power cord plug-in is by far the most important thing to guard. What about in my life?

Here’s Jesus’ answer:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38 NIV)

If I am careful to guard God’s position as the first priority in my life, the rest will fall into place so much better.

God will help me

Easier said than done! Thankfully, God will help me guard my life according to His ways. I can trust Him to do so.

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

…

The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.” (Psalm 121:1-2,8 NASB)

A Bump in the Page

Posted on July 20, 2019July 9, 2019 by S. J. Little

Getting the foundation right from the start.

Yesterday, I picked up my Bible to continue reading where I had left off: Genesis 4. I read the first verse about how Cain was born. Imagine the excitement – the first baby ever born!

Then, as I pondered this, I ran my hand over the page, smoothing it down. I paused and touched one area again. There was a bump somewhere under the page.

I hesitated. Chasing the source of little bumps in the thin pages of a Bible can be as pointless as chasing the wind. Evidently some speck of dust or what not had become stuck on one of the previous pages. Many a time I have spent far too long trying to locate and wipe off a speck of dust and ended up not actually reading much of the Bible because of this distraction. Was now a good time to ignore this bump in the page, or should I find the source and clear it out?

Because I was only at Genesis chapter 4, and the bump was towards the front of my Bible, I decided I’d try to find the source. Surely I wouldn’t have too far to go… unless it was in the many introductory pages. Besides, it was a bigger than average bump. If I left it now, it may continue to irritate all the way to Psalms, or perhaps even into the New Testament. I should take care of it now, before I get much further.

I turned back a page and ran my hand over the spot. It was under that page as well. I’d have to go deeper.

On the next page, I felt for it again. Still further.

I turned to the next page, and then the next. I still hadn’t found the source. A Bump in the Page - Looking for the problem - Post by S. J. Little

I’d reached the middle of Genesis chapter 1. Already, my time of Bible reading was being impeded. I was ready to give up the search, but I realized there was only one page remaining in the Bible. I may as well turn one more page. If I didn’t find it on the next page, the source would be somewhere in the many introductory pages. I didn’t have time to search those now. However, I would look all the way to Genesis 1:1.

I turned the final page and reached the beginning of the Bible. I swept my hand over the page. Bingo! I felt the offending speck of dust.

I swatted it away, and flipped back to Genesis 4. I ran my hand over the spot where the speck had been protruding. It was gone. Lovely.

I swept my hand over the rest of the page, but stopped. Further over, a bump of that same size had appeared!

Immediately I flipped back to the very beginning and felt the page. Sure enough, I hadn’t wiped the speck far enough. It was still on the page. I brushed it off, and ran my hand over the whole page again to double check. Back in Genesis 4, I ensured that it was all clear.

Yes, the protrusion was gone. Now I could continue on with my reading.

Before I continued, however, I paused to laugh at it. The speck of dust had been at the very beginning of my Bible: Genesis 1:1.

My laughter quickly sobered as I thought further.

In the past few days, as I slowly worked my way through the first chapters of the Bible, I had been reminded how utterly foundational they are to everything we believe as Christians. Indeed, I even listened to a sermon on Genesis 1:1 in which Pastor Glenn Nudd mentioned that if we reject the truth presented to us even in that very first verse so much of our worldview would be rendered foundationless.

A Bump in the Page - Do you believe Genesis 1:1? - Post by S. J. Little

If we do not accept and believe the Bible straight from the very start, we will find, when reading later parts, that something isn’t quite right. Just like that speck of dust would have continued to disrupt me had I not gone back to the beginning and straightened it out, so any misunderstanding or lack of accepting God’s Word at its foundation will greatly disrupt our understanding of other passages and our life of faith as a whole.

Am I saying that we need to understand every single bit of the Bible? No. There will always be more to learn. Yet there are certain utterly critical base beliefs that must be understood and accepted for the rest of God’s Word to be understood the way God intended it to be.

What are these core beliefs? Here are a couple of verses to get you started, but then I encourage you to read the Bible for yourself. You’ll quickly spot more.

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” 1 Cor. 15:3-4 NASB

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Gen. 1:1

Want to learn more of the foundational truths of the Bible? The first few chapters of Genesis are packed with them. I encourage you to read through the book, and perhaps listen to a few sermons or find other resources related to them. I recommend Pastor Glen Nudd’s sermons and David Guzik’s commentary as they teach verse by verse through the book.