For as far back as I can remember, my older brother and my two younger sisters and I were awakened every morning by the cheerful sound of my mother’s voice saying,

“This is the day the LORD has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!”

My youngest sister and I, who have never been what one would consider a morning person, but rather have quite strong night owl tendencies, did not always look forward to that sound, nor did we necessarily feel like rejoicing that early in the morning. But what we discovered is that, rejoicing is a CHOICE we can make, no matter what we FEEL like. And that Scripture (Psalm 118:24 ) is now among our favorite Bible verses.

From childhood, through my teen years, and even up into my early twenties after I was married, I was one of those girls who would get upset very easily and cry often. And once I got started crying, it was so hard to stop. Sometimes I might cry for hours. But gradually God began to teach me the principles of thanksgiving, praise and delight.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. – Ps. 100:4

[Tweet “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. – Psalm 37:4”]

I learned that when I was upset about something, instead of continuing to think about and ponder my problem, if I would put my eyes on Jesus and begin to thank him and praise him for anything and everything I could think of, that I no longer felt like crying. I discovered that it is impossible to complain and rejoice at the same time. And rejoicing brings peace and joy. So I learned to choose to thank God and praise Him and delight myself in him.

That’s why these two Bible verses are also two of my favorite Scriptures.

Even though I asked Jesus to come into my heart when I was in 3rd grade and was born again, my mind did not automatically know all this stuff. Psalm 119:  talks about hiding God’s Word in our hearts, so we will not sin against God. And Romans 12:2 instructs us:

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I use lots of different strategies and techniques to hide God’s Word in my heart renew my mind to the truths of Scripture. One way that lots of Christian women are finding a lot of success (and enjoyment) with is coloring pages that contain art along with Bible verses.

I remember the first Scripture coloring book for adults that I saw. My heart leaped with excitement. I thought it was absolutely brilliant!  Apparently so do a lot of other women.

Kimberly D. says of coloring Scripture coloring books for adults:

“It is relaxing and brings me closer to God. Coloring helps shut my mind off from the rest of the world!”

[Tweet “”I love coloring Scriptures because it really helps me memorize them better.” – Dani C.”]

My friend, Stacey Koiner says: “Coloring Scripture is a great way to de-stress at the end of the day and worship God at the same time.”

As an artist who is passionate about helping cultivate DELIGHT in The Word of God, I was so excited when God began to give me ideas for creating my own Scripture Coloring Book. And now, the LORD is indeed giving me the desires of my heart as I am about to release my first Scripture coloring book for adults, titled, “Delight in The Word of God – Volume 1 – Favorite Scriptures.”

I am having so much fun creating this book, and I am believing it is going to be a blessing to thousands of women like you— that it will help you delight in The Word of God and hide it in your heart. It will include my three favorite Scriptures I mentioned above plus many more of my favorites. Hopefully, it includes some of YOUR favorite verses as well. If not, well stay tuned, because I already have ideas for several more Scripture coloring books.

UPDATE: My NEW Scripture Coloring Book for Adults is now available in both a printable version and a paperback version. Click HERE for ordering info.

Here are a few pages that have been colored by my amazing Launch Team. (See credits below.)

My new coloring book will also include journal pages for you to add your thoughts, insights and prayers, as you converse with God while coloring the pages. It will also include several bookmark-sized designs, which can be cut out and used as bookmarks, made into cards, or used in your Bible for Bible Journaling.

Photo and coloring credits in order from top of page:

• Psalm 100:4 – Elizabeth Cortez
• Psalm 37:4 – Lorraine Swartzentruber
• Matthew 6:21 – Karen Cook
• 1 John 4:7 – Marjorie Jane Chittenden
• Philippians 4:12 – Marilyn Sue Moore
• Psalm 91:1 – Lindsey Volesky
• Psalm 119:18 – Maretha Retief
• 1 Corinthians 16:14 – Tina Smith
• Psalm 119:47-48 – Kimberly Dewberry
• Psalm 37:4 bookmark – Kimberly Dewberry
• Sunflower journal page – Tina Smith
• Psalm 37:4 Bible journaling – Samantha Gilstrap

Photo and coloring credits for images below:

• Top image: Traca Miller
• Middle image: Marilyn Sue Moore
• Bottom image:Elizabeth Cortez