My Yellow Ribbon for God

Best-selling author Sue Monk Kidd shares a daily prayer tip to remember the Lord’s presence.

A yellow ribbon around a tree in a front yard.

As we were driving along, I noticed a bright yellow ribbon tied around the trunk of a tree in someone’s front yard. “Look at the bow around the tree,” I said.

“What’s it for?” the children asked.

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I told them it was usually put there as a reminder of something we wanted to keep in mind.

“You mean like tying a string around your finger, so you won’t forget?” Bob said.

“Right!” I answered.

The next morning I opened my Bible to the reading for the day, Deuteronomy 8:11: “Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God.” I realized one of my biggest obstacles to keeping God constantly in mind was that I simply forgot.

Tie a yellow ribbon. The thought pushed its way to the front of my mind. Was there something that could become a reminder of God’s Presence in my life, something that would point me to God whenever I saw it?

I made the schoolhouse clock over the mantle my “yellow ribbon.” Each time it chimes, I am reminded to pause and give God a moment of prayer remembrance.

 

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