Storing Up

"Look, Dad," said Tristan. "A chipmunk!" Dad joined Tristan at the window and together they watched the little creature strip an ear of corn from the compost pile. "Look at him peel off those kernels!" said Tristan. "He eats fast!""He's not eating them," said Dad. "He's stuffing the kernels into little pouches in his cheeks. Watch what he does with them now."Tristan watched as the chipmunk scurried over to the woodpile. He laughed when he saw what the little rodent did next. "He's using his hind foot to push the corn out of his cheeks!""He's storing it in spaces between the chunks of wood so it'll be there when he needs it later on," Dad explained. Tristan and his dad watched for several minutes as the tiny animal dashed back and forth from the ear of corn to the woodpile. "I can't believe how much he can store in his cheeks!" Tristan said after a few minutes. "He's got all the kernels stripped from the cob already."Dad nodded. "You know, Tristan, God has built a storage system into us too.""I don't have any pouches in my cheeks to carry food," said Tristan, laughing at the idea.Dad grinned at him. "I was thinking of a different kind of food--spiritual food. You store it in your heart, not in your cheeks.""Spiritual food?" asked Tristan. "Oh, you mean like the Bible verses I have to learn for church, right?""Exactly," said Dad. "The Bible calls it hiding God's Word in our hearts. As we meditate on God's Word by learning what the Bible says and storing its truth in our hearts, it helps strengthen us spiritually. When we store it away, God brings it back to our minds when we need it. It can help us in times of trial or testing--like when we're going through a difficult situation or when we're tempted to sin--by reminding us of God's love and the power and hope He's given us through Jesus."Dad nodded toward the chipmunk. "The corn being stored by that little guy will be there for him when he needs it in the cold winter months, and the verses we memorize will be there whenever we need them." -Trula H. Bensinger