Simply Angie
One of the greatest joys of my week is teaching the Bible (Religious Instruction) to primary school children. For the first lesson of the year, we tackled a foundational concept: Getting to know God. As I looked at those young faces, I realized that the hardest thing to explain is also the most important truth any of us will ever learn: There is a massive difference between knowing about someone and actually knowing them. The “Best Friend” GapI asked the children, “How well do you know me? What do you know about me?” Many hands shot up. They knew my name, my age, what I looked like, and they even knew I came from America to teach them. My heart was especially touched when one child said, “You love God a LOT!” But then I challenged them: Do they really know me? As we talked it through, they realized that while we are friendly, and while I love them, we aren’t truly close. Why? Because we don’t “hang out.” We don’t spend time together outside the classroom. And that’s when the connection clicked. Many of us know God the way we know someone famous. We know His name, we know His “stats.” We hear others talk about Him. But God doesn’t want to be a distant figure or historical reference point. He wants a relationship with us. And there’s only one way that kind of relationship can grow. Drawing Near (The First Move)As adults, we often feel like God is a million miles away, especially when life becomes overwhelming. Yet Scripture gives us this amazing promise: It’s a staggering thought. God already knows us completely. He knows the parts we try to hide, the thoughts we’re ashamed of, the mistakes we’ve made when no one else was watching. He knows it all, and He still loves us. He still wants to draw close. He wants to be our Best Friend. So, how do we “hang out” with God? How We Spend Time With GodPrayer is how we talk to God. The Bible is how God talks to us. I shared with each class a verse that beautifully captures this truth: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 To help the kids understand this verse, I asked them to imagine going camping. If you have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, you don’t just walk out into the bush in the dark. You’d trip over a tent peg, stumble over a root, or worse—step on a snake! You grab a torch (a flashlight). The light helps you see where to step, keeps you from danger, and guides you safely forward. God’s Word does the same for us. It doesn’t always show us the whole road ahead—but it gives us light for the next step. It helps us make wise choices. It protects us. It guides our path. In a world that often dismisses God’s Word as a fairy tale, we see instead that it is actually the foundation of everything. We went through several scenarios in class:
The children knew the answers were ‘no’ instinctively. Why? Because it says so in the Bible. The Word of God provides the very principles our society and our laws are built upon. It isn’t just a book of stories; it’s the practical guide that keeps us from “stepping on snakes” in our daily lives. Enough for the Darkest NightsI’ve shared recently about how the Lord has been so close to me through overwhelming times. As I have been thinking about that, I came to realize that we don’t just develop that closeness because of the hard times; rather, the hard times reveal the closeness we’ve been building all along. My husband often says: “You don’t realize that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.” When the supports of life fall away, and you find yourself in that quiet, desperate place where it is just you and Him, you find out that He truly is enough. He isn’t just a concept; He is a Presence. A Friend who sticks closer than a brother. That is the truth I long to instil in the children I’m blessed to teach. I don’t want them to merely know about God. I want them to truly know Him. A Resource for Your JourneyAs a small reminder of this truth, I created a simple bookmark for the kids to take home—a visual reminder that getting to know God happens through prayer and His Word. It’s a reminder we all need. So this week, I’d love to gift that bookmark to you as well. You can print and laminate it for yourself, your children, your church, or your school - whatever you’d like.
I hope it will serve as a quiet reminder of God’s desire to walk with you, speak to you, and guide you - one step at a time. My prayer for all of us is not just that we would ‘believe in God,’ but that we would truly get to know Him as we spend time with Him day by day. Blessings, P.S. I was chatting recently with a friend about what it means to truly “pray without ceasing.” For me, it’s less about constant words and more about constant awareness — God in our thoughts, woven into the ordinary moments of life. A quiet, ongoing conversation. That simple idea has shaped how I walk through my days, and I look forward to sharing more about it with you next time. Talk to you again soon. Can’t wait?
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Saturday, February 21, 2026
Getting to Know God
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