Sometimes pathetic jumps up and slaps me smack in the face. Tonight I went into the den upstairs where my hubby was running some new cable & phone lines just to see what was up and have human interaction. I lingered around there while he worked and we talked about the new neighbor I met earlier and his new office furniture arriving at work.
I stared up at the full bookcases and there they were….gently looking back at me — our Bibles. I scanned each row and started to count…16! Not all of them are mine. Some are my hubby’s, some are our kids…others from childhood and a few as gifts. It really doesn’t matter whose or where they came from, it only matters how each one was used in mine and my family’s life.
As I counted them and reminisced of times I used or spent time reading them….I felt a pinch of sadness. Many of them have writing in them, perhaps I used it for a study Bible or my kids left behind childlike art squeezed between the pages. Each of the Bibles on my shelves hold more than just THE WORD for me. They hold who I am and who my family is today.
I’m sad that I own so many Bibles. I feel gluttonous and spoiled because I know owning God’s word is a privilege. I also know that I have mishandled that gift much of the time. I wonder if you are like me too? Are your walls lined with Bibles….catching dust and sitting quietly by as your family passes them by?
What can we do about it? I’m not talking about how we can lessen guilt either. So, I think I have a plan. For the next year…I will choose a different Bible every time I use one for study or church. Maybe I’ll linger over one or several for a bit longer than I normally would. I don’t want to waste what I have.
Do you?