Day 9: The Words on the Pages
Today's blog post topic is surprisingly NOT from a Pinterest find, but rather, an email I received just this morning. Years ago I signed up for a Scripture Challenge for which the goal was to create a 26 paged 6x6 album where each letter of the alphabet was to be used to study a word from the Bible. She has, over the years, done many different studies all involving scrapbooking and scripture. This year, she has decided to focus on journal prompts with a little artistry added in. Phew...that is a lot to get through to get to my point!
Anyhow, she listed 4 prompts today, one for each week of the month. While all of them are good, and I will more than likely use them all at some point in this challenge, (ok, you know me better than that, I'll shout squirrel and change directions, but for now I'm going to run with this!) I am choosing this one quite purposefully.
Do you write in your Bible? Why or why not, and what do you write?
First I need to let you know, I have a few Bibles. (This will be another blog post, if I follow the prompts!) Each one received at different times. I don't have a favorite Bible, but I do prefer the NIV. All that said, yes, I write in my Bible. I do. I do not find it in the least bit degrading, demeaning, or even devaluing of God's word. While some folks prefer to sit down and read with a notebook to record what thoughts they have, or the way the Holy Spirit speaks to them through the words on the pages, I much prefer to keep those words on the very pages that speak them. Here's why. I don't have a set time each day where I sit down quietly before the Lord. I don't even have a set routine for my reading. In all honesty, I don't even read daily from the same Bible. More often than not I use the Bible App on my phone. I'm getting off point. Let me pull this back in. I read on the go - a lot.
I received a pocket-sized Bible many, many years ago, for Valentine's Day, from my ex-Mr. I carried that around with me everywhere. I wanted it to be with me so I could read on the go also so I could be a better Christian. (Again, another topic for another time.) While I did use the Bible in that way for a few years, it wasn't until he chose to walk away from our marriage that I really started to listen to what the words were saying to me. Before that, yes I read and made notes in the margins, something akin to, "thank you Lord", "amen", and the other requisite utterings signaling I was reading the words. However, it wasn't until during those days where I sought the Lord, begged and pleaded with Him, looked to Him for the answers when I finally WROTE in the margins. I have since retired that Bible ( I have it in a drawer someplace) but the words on the pages, the ones where God spoke to me and I wrote back to Him, are so very real and so very important. In fact, they are much like a beloved conversation you never want to forget. Someday I will pull it back out and re-read what we talked about and may even use them for a much larger piece of writing.
Then there is the pocket-sized Bible I use now. This one was a beautiful gift from my Mr. for my birthday. In these pages, there are a few "thank-yous" and "amens", but there are so many more conversations. There are days where I just poured out my soul, there are days where I just cried out to him (in word form), there are days where I have questioned him exponentially, and there are days where I have praised him for anything and everything. And that, in all honesty, is why I write in my Bible. It is something I can do on the go, anywhere and at any time. I don't have to sit quietly before Him to hold a conversation with Him. There is so much beauty in the margins. It is the space where God and I meet, where His is growing me and I am asking to be grown. I truly love the margins. (Please know that there is a great deal of benefit sitting quietly and expectantly before Him, and I do recommend it.)
Oh, how the words, all the words, on the pages are so very important, so very necessary, and so very real.
Do you write in the margins too?
M
Anyhow, she listed 4 prompts today, one for each week of the month. While all of them are good, and I will more than likely use them all at some point in this challenge, (ok, you know me better than that, I'll shout squirrel and change directions, but for now I'm going to run with this!) I am choosing this one quite purposefully.
Do you write in your Bible? Why or why not, and what do you write?
First I need to let you know, I have a few Bibles. (This will be another blog post, if I follow the prompts!) Each one received at different times. I don't have a favorite Bible, but I do prefer the NIV. All that said, yes, I write in my Bible. I do. I do not find it in the least bit degrading, demeaning, or even devaluing of God's word. While some folks prefer to sit down and read with a notebook to record what thoughts they have, or the way the Holy Spirit speaks to them through the words on the pages, I much prefer to keep those words on the very pages that speak them. Here's why. I don't have a set time each day where I sit down quietly before the Lord. I don't even have a set routine for my reading. In all honesty, I don't even read daily from the same Bible. More often than not I use the Bible App on my phone. I'm getting off point. Let me pull this back in. I read on the go - a lot.
I received a pocket-sized Bible many, many years ago, for Valentine's Day, from my ex-Mr. I carried that around with me everywhere. I wanted it to be with me so I could read on the go also so I could be a better Christian. (Again, another topic for another time.) While I did use the Bible in that way for a few years, it wasn't until he chose to walk away from our marriage that I really started to listen to what the words were saying to me. Before that, yes I read and made notes in the margins, something akin to, "thank you Lord", "amen", and the other requisite utterings signaling I was reading the words. However, it wasn't until during those days where I sought the Lord, begged and pleaded with Him, looked to Him for the answers when I finally WROTE in the margins. I have since retired that Bible ( I have it in a drawer someplace) but the words on the pages, the ones where God spoke to me and I wrote back to Him, are so very real and so very important. In fact, they are much like a beloved conversation you never want to forget. Someday I will pull it back out and re-read what we talked about and may even use them for a much larger piece of writing.
Then there is the pocket-sized Bible I use now. This one was a beautiful gift from my Mr. for my birthday. In these pages, there are a few "thank-yous" and "amens", but there are so many more conversations. There are days where I just poured out my soul, there are days where I just cried out to him (in word form), there are days where I have questioned him exponentially, and there are days where I have praised him for anything and everything. And that, in all honesty, is why I write in my Bible. It is something I can do on the go, anywhere and at any time. I don't have to sit quietly before Him to hold a conversation with Him. There is so much beauty in the margins. It is the space where God and I meet, where His is growing me and I am asking to be grown. I truly love the margins. (Please know that there is a great deal of benefit sitting quietly and expectantly before Him, and I do recommend it.)
Oh, how the words, all the words, on the pages are so very important, so very necessary, and so very real.
Do you write in the margins too?
M
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