Friday, October 1, 2010

Retiring my Bible

I decided several weeks back, maybe even months, that on my birthday this year I would retire my Bible. I received this NIV Disciple's Study Bible from my parents on my birthday 1990, the year that Michelle and I returned to Christ after a time of wandering aimlessly. The truth contained in this book has carried me from the desert of Arizona back to Georgia and then to Tennessee. It has held me up through the death of my father and my brother. It has given me hope in the troubled waters of strained relationships and shined light into the dark places of my soul when I chose to hide in the shadows. In those twenty years, I have cried into it's pages over disappointments in life and unfulfilled dreams. It has consistently reminded me that I must die so Christ may live in me. Some lessons I learned and some I ignored, but it never gave up on me. The pages are filled with notes from my journey, so I will keep this treasured book in hopes that someone travelling behind me in later generations may pick it up and use it on the journey. So now I lay my friend aside and begin the next 20 years with my ESV Study Bible. I may consult my old friend occasionally to talk about "the good ole days" and see what it has been up to, but for now I say "Thank you" for a great 20 years.

1 comment:

k1banjo said...

Jon, I stabled my long time Bible several years ago. In fact, I am now trying to use a different Bible every year. Last year, I read through the ESV Study Bible. This year, LORD willing, is The Reformation Bible.