ABC: Bible Meditation for Me! R Is for Rumination

ABC: Bible Meditation for Me!  R Is for Rumination

ABC: Bible Meditation for Me: Bible Meditation Vs. Eastern Meditation

Introduction: This is a lesson in a twenty-six part series created for parents, grandparent, teachers, and kids.  Please share these lessons with homeschoolers, Sunday School, and Children's Church leaders.

R Is for Rumination

R is for rumination
that uses reflection
to think things over
with much introspection.

Bible Meditation Rumination Recitation

Psalm 139:17  "How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!  how great is the sum of them!"

In your Bible place little "+" signs round the verse to make you think about how many precious and wonderful thoughts the Lord gives us out of his word.  How precious and how great are these thoughts!  Read verse 18 too!

A Bible Meditator Puts on His Thinking Cap

Someone who loves God's word puts on his "thinking cap" when he reads it and gives heed to it.  Whereas, other meditators try to take off their "thinking caps."

Words Related to Rumination

Type a page full of the following words: think, meditate, meditation, reflect, reflection, muse, contemplate, contemplation, heed, study, regard, attend, attention, understand and so on.  Print several copies.  Use to make a rumination poster, or back a bulletin board.  When you display, or write a verse on them use a different font and a brighter color so the words show up. 

Ms. Jean-- A Real Ruminant!

Ms. Jean was a special friend.  She just loved to ruminate on and talk about scripture.  She loved to memorize it too.  Ms. Jean had a goal--to memorize Psalm 119 with its one hundred and seventy-six verses.  I loved to talk with Ms. Jean and have her pray for me too.

Just "Like a Cow" Rumination

Cows like to chew grass, then spit it up and rechew it several times before finally swallowing it.  So we too must do the same by chewing on or reflecting on a verse over and over.  That's how to do "just like a cow" rumination!  Try it!

Biblical  "Cud" Verses

Did you know there is a scripture about animals like a cow that chew the cud?   Find them in:   Leviticus 11:2,3

"Just Like a Cow" Bible Marker  

Cut out a green marker sized paper strip. Fringe its top like grass.  On one side write: "R U a Ruminant?"  On the reverse side write the verse you are ruminating on.  Then ruminate regularly.

Eastern Meditation

Unlike rumination, Eastern meditation requires letting go of thoughts and ignoring them. It makes your mind fuzzy and half asleep.  It can become trance-like.  Don't use it!   

Empty Mind, Filled Mind   

The Buddhist way is to rid one of ruminations--anything past and anything in the future.  Then, they say, think on the present.  However, God tells us lots of things to remember from the past and lots of things to know about the future.  So ruminate the Bible way and don't run on empty!

Mindfulness Message:  Don't Overthink or Ruminate!

In an article "Mindfulness Grounding Exercises" from Mindfulness4U a writer says "Signs that we are ungrounded are: "we over-think or ruminate!"  It lists other things as well.  Note that this is totally opposite of Bible meditation.

Suggestions for Parents:

Sample Bible Meditation Sequence 

Goals: to help kids to become familiar with their Bibles, to locate meditation verses, to understand
Bible meditation, to use it in prayer or song, to create a craft using verse, to memorize it, and to apply it.  For use with: one child, a small group, or whole class; or use for devotions, homeschooling, Sunday School, camps, Bible clubs and so on. Needed: Bible, highlighter, pencil, items for marker or other craft.

Bible Verse Meditation Sequence:
1. Select it.     2. Find it in Bible.     3. Highlight it.     4. Read it aloud.     5. Think it over; share it.     6. Pray it.     7. Rethink it; share it.     8. Make it; put in Bible.     9. Memorize it.   
10. Apply it.

Sample conversation:  "Today we'll meditate on Ps.139:17.  Let's find it in our Bibles.  (Help if needed.)  We'll use our highlighter to highlight it like this.  (Demonstrate.)  Read aloud together.  Think about it.  What did you notice?  (Allow time to share.)  We can pray the verse like this:  "Dear Lord, thank you that your word says, "How precious …. of them."  Let's ruminate on it one more time.  Does anyone have a different thought?  (Make a "R U a Ruminant?" marker)   Find the verse again, and put your marker on that page.  (Help if needed.)  I hope this week you'll look in your Bible to read your verse, use your verse, and memorize it too."