I Found My Bible!

     Yesterday my husband and I went to the church and worked on Sunday school lessons-editing, copying, etc.  While I worked at the computer, he went to the local visitor's center and bought a beautiful poster with desert scenery to be framed and decorated for our Sunday school room. I wanted to see how the picture looked, so when we were leaving, we stopped by so I could take peek. The poster did look really pretty hanging in our newly painted room, but even more exciting was spotting my Bible, that I had lost about a month ago, laying on a table. "I found it in the other room," my husband said as a matter of fact. In my mind I did the happy dance over finding my long lost Bible and nearly hugged it all the way home.
     I have been pretty annoyed at myself for misplacing my favorite Bible--I had almost resigned myself to the fact that it was lost forever.  A couple of years ago I had a Bible that I really loved. I had read it and underlined in it and highlighted in it and written quotes in it until it had become very dog-eared and ragged looking--it had become so comfortable.  While at the Christian bookstore one day, my husband was looking at the Bibles, and said, "You need a new Bible."
     "No, I don't. Mine is just fine."
     "You need a new Bible. I don't want you walking around with one that looks all worn out when I can get you one that looks presentable."  Why does he have to be so logical? I hate wearing shoes that look worn out or having my kids wear clothing that looks worn out, but there is just something so secure about a Bible that becomes worn out.  I thanked him for purchasing my new burgundy Bible for me and took it home.  I have to admit, I had a tough time. As odd as it sounds, I felt a little resentful toward Mr. New Bible. Mr. Old Bible knew all my favorite verses. Mr. Old Bible had been through several Bible studies with me and had all the notes to prove it. None of Mr. Old Bible's pages stuck together like Mr. New Bible's did--they just so easily flipped from one page to the next.  I did like the smell of the new Bible, so it did have one advantage. It just seemed ridiculous that the transition had to be so difficult! For a few days, I kept the old Bible and new Bible together and began marking my favorite verses in the new Bible. I also started underlining verses that I had memorized through the years.  After a week or so, I took the old Bible and finally put it away. It really wasn't  easy.
     When I found my Bible yesterday, I thought back to those days when it was new. Somewhere along the line, my new Bible became my main squeeze. Lest anyone think I'm being disrespectful to God's Word--I am not. I have other Bibles. I've been reading and carrying a Bible that I really like in the absence of my usual Bible, but when I lost that Book, I realized how much I have grown to love that particular Bible. It has become the Bible that is now highlighted, underlined, and a little bit dog-eared--just like I like it.
     God so wants us to have a relationship with His words--His words should be something we long for and desire in our lives. Psalms 119:103 says, "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth."  I know that sometimes in my life I have felt that if I don't sit down for a half an hour solid in the morning and just read the Bible then I am not doing something right. As I have gotten older and life has had its scheduling complications, I have found that there are many ways to incorporate God's Word into my life. Here are a few:
 1.  Sometimes I open up the Bible on the bathroom counter while I am drying my hair and meditate on His Word.
2. Sometimes I write a verse(s) on a 3x5 card and memorize and meditate on it while I do household tasks or while I walk.
3. Often I read my Bible while my husband drives. Sometimes he asks me to read it to him while he drives.
4. I like to keep a Bible in the van, so that if I have to wait at an appointment or wait in the van, I can read my Bible during those moments.
5. Sometimes I see my Bible laying on the nightstand or on the coffee table, and as I pass by,  I will just pick it up and read a few verses from Psalms.
    
     I like reading my Bible. On some days I have more quiet time than other days when I can read in peace, but other days are more hectic, but God's Word has just become a part of my life--it's my friend. I'm so thankful that I found my Bible, God's words wrapped in a burgundy leather cover which is now looking a little worn and comfortable--just like I like it.