New Bible, New Story

I love opening new bibles. I just do.

I love taking it out of the box and seeing the sturdy, unmarked cover. I love flipping through crisp pages and hearing them crack apart, having never been opened before. New bibles even have that new-book smell to them – beckoning you to stick your nose in and read!

But my favorite thing about opening a new bible is wondering what story it will tell someday. Will it tell a story of disinterest as it sits on a shelf for 10 years, unchanging? Or will it be cracked and worn, mirroring the courageous faith of it's owner who poured over it's words searching for truth and answers in hard times?

I have had my bible for 10 years now, and I love the story it tells. It's my faith story – a 10^th grade, boy-crazy girl learning how to navigate the ocean storm that is high school; an 18-year-old graduate fearing life in a new college town;  a young, timid girl learning her value in Christ.

I have poured over the words in that book during times of doubt, times of uncertainty, and times of weariness and grief and joy and thanksgiving. It has been my lifeline to the will of my God.

I have highlighted verses upon verses of His promises to his children, and I have written notes to myself in the front and back covers:

“I'm Third.”

“She is clothed with strength and dignity.”

“In Jesus' name, we press on.”

My bible is not only a book to me. It tells the story of my entire walk with Christ from the time I began to follow Christ until now, 10 years later.  And how different my life is from when I first bought that bible!

I bought another bible last week, but this one isn't for me. It is for one of the girls who attends my bible study each Monday. She has been wanting one for a long time, so as I sat with her one night last week, I pulled up Amazon on my phone so she could pick one out. Her mouth turned up into a smile as she told me, “The pink one.” It was ordered right then and delivered to me today.

I took the bible out of it's box and flipped through the new, crisp pages, and I wondered how far it would take her. What will she read? What will she highlight? Where will it go as she grows up and leaves the children's home? What storms in her life will be calmed by the words of truth and promise that flow through it's pages?

I am excited about the new story this bible will tell.  I hope it tells of a girl growing and grasping her identity in Christ; a girl learning to stand in faith on her own two feet; a daughter of the King flourishing in the life and plan that her Father has for her.  

And maybe 10 years from now, we will be able to meet up, compare bibles, and tell two amazing stories of God's goodness, faithfulness, and protection.