A few weeks ago, visiting my youngest son, I walked into his living room and sat down on the couch near his front window, a cozy spot where he likes to relax and enjoy the plants in the window, the sunset view from his loft vantage point, or the Chiefs on TV. I was pleasantly surprised and nearly moved to tears, though, by something else—on the lamp table in that cozy corner, there were two Bibles, with a journal and pen nearby.
That’s a welcome sight for any mom who prays regularly for her kids to stay grounded in faith, but those Bibles are extra special: They belonged to my parents, and when helping me sort through the keepsakes from Dad’s house, Luke requested them. One is a study Bible of my dad’s, and the other a smaller leather-bound volume my mom regularly carried to church.
Seeing my interest, Luke said, “Mom, I love having those Bibles! Thank you so much! I study with them every day and I really enjoy reading all the notes Grandpa and Grandma made!”
Ahhh, yes, the notes. Both my parents read the Bible faithfully and literally wore out several; especially Dad as he studied for ministerial credentials so he could do jail ministry. And as they read, or listened to a sermon, they jotted notes in the margins or marked passages they found especially meaningful. These insightful tidbits reflect years of hardship, joy, life’s ups and downs, and their faithfulness to see all those things in the light of God’s Word. I’m personally benefiting from some of them, including Dad’s notebooks from his ministerial courses, and now my son is reaping that wisdom. My husband’s mom did the same thing, responding to God’s Word with a pen or highlighter handy; and seeing Luke using Dad’s Bibles reminded my husband to pull out his mom’s favorite and use it for his own devotional time.
I guess I inherited the desire to engage with the Word, combined with my research about the hand/brain connection that improves retention. My first study Bible, a gift from my husband early in our marriage, is full of notes, highlighting and even a couple of worship songs inspired by the Psalms; a smaller Bible I bought for church and travel has quite a few notes, too. I sort of dropped the ball with my Life Publishers Fire Bible, which was a more recent gift—I mean, it was expensive and maybe I should keep it nice and clean, right? Actually, wrong. Seeing Luke so immersed in my parents’ insightful notes, I realized that if he ended up with my newest Bible, it would be a nice one he would likely use, but it would not reflect my time and the Holy Spirit’s inspiration the way those marked ones do.
My phone is great for quick reference through Bible Hub or YouVersion, which makes it easy to follow sermons and Scripture highlights at participating churches; and electronic devices are a game-changer for the visually-impaired; but while I can see and write to do so, I’ll keep marking and highlighting my Bibles as the Holy Spirit speaks, and keeping a study notebook my kids and grandkids might find helpful in their faith journey. After that experience in Luke’s cozy corner, I strongly encourage you to do the same!
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