Love Your Bible Enough to Wear it Out by Rose McCormick Brandon

 

Everyone has them – a pair of scruffy shoes that should be thrown away. Mine sit on a shelf at the back door – an ancient pair of black loafers. Miles of wear have molded them to the shape my feet. When I slip into them, my toes sink into hollows on the inner sole. I always intend to change into garden clogs before wading into the perennial bed but I seldom do. Now, horizontal grooves from weeding on bended knees wave across the insteps of my favorite footwear.  

With its frayed stitching and floppy cover, my favorite Bible resembles my leather loafers. Coffee stains dot its pages but the burgundy coloured Amplified version fits me as comfortably as my old shoes. Not long ago, I treated myself to a luxurious NIV. I carried it to church and Bible studies and tried to love it. But gradually I reverted to the rumpled Amplified. Scribbled notes wander across its margins. Dates, stars, names and arrows draw my attention to verses that have special meaning. I love its wordiness. Others may find the bracketed alternate meanings an interruption but I find myself wishing for more explanation.

A bible should become as personal as well-worn sneakers. Once a new Christian picked up my bible from our coffee table – at that time I used a leather-bound Schofield KJV study Bible, with my name embossed in gold on the cover. I’d owned it for several years and it showed. “You write in your Bible?” she said.

 “Yes. If a verse touches my heart or teaches me something, I underline it. And sometimes I make notes beside it.”

She spent several hours that afternoon underlining my special passages in her fresh bible.  “You’re going to end up with a bible that’s more mine than yours,” I told her. She wanted it to look used she said. And I get that. Nothing is as sad as a seldom-read Bible. More than just another religious book, a copy of scripture contains sacred words that penetrate the deepest recesses of the human soul. No other writing, no matter how stirring and brilliant achieves this.

Like comfortable shabby shoes, a loved Bible travels. And not only to religious events. It visits park benches, cafes, laundromats, airports, trains, buses and fast-food places. It’s not afraid of greasy fingers or breakfast crumbs. It doesn’t cringe when a baby reaches out, as one of mine did, and rips a page from Romans. I taped the tattered leaf in place and now its stiffness draws my attention to the greatest stand-alone book of all 66.

Men like William Tyndale sacrificed their lives to put a copy of scripture in common hands like mine. Since then, many have believed in Jesus through no other witness but the Bible. My husband Doug is one of them. When we were dating he found the Bible (the leather-bound KJV) I had stashed in the glove compartment of my car during my wanderings from God. Beginning in Genesis, he read every day for months. One day while lunching in a park, Doug read these words in John – “Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” ⁽²⁾ He prayed, “God, I not only believe in you but now I believe in your son Jesus.”

David van Biema, Religion Editor for Time Magazine wrote – “The Bible is the most influential book ever written. Not only is it the best selling book of all time, it is the best selling book of the year every year.”⁽¹⁾ Today’s robust Bible sales must have Voltaire red-faced in his grave. He predicted that fifty years after his death there would not be a single Bible remaining on earth. Since his death in 1778 many new translations of the scriptures have been introduced and billions of copies distributed around the globe. The sad reality is that a large percentage of them lie neglected on shelves, their pages unruffled by human fingers and free of ink spots.

Helen, a Ukrainian immigrant to Canada, found one of those neglected bibles at a time when she was lonely, depressed and contemplating suicide. Alone in her apartment, she read for hours each day. At night she placed the Bible under her pillow as she slept. “I found my Lord in this book,” she said pointing to a hard cover volume held together with ribbon. “He saved my life and I have dedicated myself fully to Him.”  Helen is now wearing out her second bible.

As a fifth grader, my friend Patricia received a Gideon New Testament. She read it from cover to cover and still follows the practice of reading the Bible as a complete book. She’s lost track of how many times she’s read it through. It’s so familiar to her that when searching for a passage, she often knows its exact location on the page.  That happens when we become as comfortable with our Bibles as we are in an old pair of shoes.   

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Rose McCormick Brandon lives in Caledonia, Ontario with husband Doug. An award-winning personal experience and inspirational writer, Rose contributes to denominational publications and devotionals. She writes and teaches Bible Studies, authors biblical essays and is the author of the Canadian history book, Promises of Home – Stories of Canada’s British Home Children. Her book, One Good Word Makes all the Difference, contains stories of her personal journey from prodigal to passionate follower of Jesus. She is the mother of three adult children and grandmother of five.