This coming Sunday the lesson
for our adult class at my church has been planned by a lady who had a unique
idea. She asked each of us to bring in
something that was precious to us. What
came to my mind instantly was “my family”. It was neither practical nor possible to bring
in my family and place them on the (symbolic) altar (which was the plan). So I began to think of all the things which
are precious to me and it turned out to be many, many things. The main criteria for me to use in deciding
what I could physically carry into the church was - what would I never, ever
throw away. Well, that is a long list also.
This task had turned out to be what I thought would be simple, to a
monumental effort.
Since this is after all, a church
affair, I began to narrow things down. I
decided that I would take in a Bible that my parents had given to me around the
age of 12. I do not remember just why it
was given to me but I suspect it was when I went through a communicant’s class
at that age. So, it is a very old Bible and it looks old. The cover is missing entirely. Many pages are gone or torn or scribbled on
(by my children before they learned to write).
No doubt they were also intrigued by the colorful pictures throughout,
depicting Biblical scenes. Even some of
those pictures were gone. They are
wonderful pictures and I will admit to removing some of them to use in the
classes I have taught for children, mainly in this present church.
So, I had made a decision,
but then I thought of all those other Bibles on my shelf. There was one which was presented to my aunt
Clara by her husband in 1924. It says so
right on the fly leaf. Also some more
history of this Bible is written there.
After my aunt died in May 1973 my uncle Matt moved from his farm in
Indiana to Florida. He must have been discarding
items for this move and thought the Bible too precious to throw away. He gave it to my sister Katrine and she kept
it until 1981. I found it when I was
handling her affairs. In ten more years this Bible will be 100 years old. I determined to add it to stack.
This is not the only Bible I
have that had belonged to my sister. I
have two others. One was given to her on
her birthday Oct 3rd 1922 when she was around ten. My mother gave it to her and had written her
name along with the date.
The other Bible is one that my sister had
bought for herself. The copyright date is 1940. It is 2 and ½ inches thick and has wonderful
helps in it like The Key, an index of the Scriptures from Genesis through
Revelation. At the back is a Concordance
Dictionary. The words of Jesus are in
red. And it also has a Family Register which has been filled in by my sister,
with many pertinent dates included.
My stack is getting higher
and I have one more to add. It is called
the Good News Bible and I love the illustrations in it. They are all line drawings. The artist who drew them was very adept at expressing
the essence of the message with minimal lines.
While working on this stack I
found some interesting notes I had taken when studying something using some of
these Bibles. One page was filled with
thoughts about the wisdom found in this amazing text.
Our pastor likes to quote Dr.
Phil’s response to his guests with “How’s that working for you”?
I think Proverbs of Solomon
offer the most economical, psychological, effective counseling that has been
available since the written Bible. They
are for me truths as a blueprint for a fulfilling life.
I choose Proverbs 3:5 in the
King James version. “Trust in the Lord
with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. My son-in-law
often chides me for not reading the directions first before attempting
something new. For all too often I have
to abandon my initial attempts and “read the directions.”
In terms of living our lives
we are always being challenged with situations that are new and
unfamiliar. The categories for these
challenges are endless, some small, others medium size and some Papa Bear size.
In order to solve a new
problem we have to go through a cognitive process. Scientists are learning with the use of new
technology that this cognitive process can actually be seen taking place in the
brain as it occurs, when they ask a patient to count backward from 100 by
threes.
They have also learned that
these mental gymnastics actually cause the neurons in the brain to fire faster
and this sends out more signals which are aimed to a specific spot. This is building more brain power which
becomes a foundation for better problem solving in the future. In educational circles this is referred to as
cognitive dissonance (a lack of harmony or agreement). No problems - no new learning. That is how children learn and advance and
can go on to the next step in whatever they are learning.
God knew all of this long
before scientists discovered it. As our
creator he designed mankind in such a way for him to develop into a growing,
learning, spiritually balanced being.
I think problems, both small
and large are a part of God’s plan for mankind to become what he created them
to be. Proverbs 3:5 instructs us to walk
the path God knows will lead to success whereas if we make up our own
instructions we can fail and know frustration.
So, when we trust in God,
read his instructions and follow them we gain new learning and understanding,
helping us with our next, similar problem we face. Proverbs is full of problem solving
instructions. Proverbs 1:33 says “those
who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of
disaster. It is the best plan that I
know to follow throughout life. That is
why it is precious to me.
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