Authentically Mine
“I would drip coffee on my new study Bible. Guess it’s more authentically mine?”
I had to chuckle to myself when I read this. Of course, this was a tweet from one of my own daughters so I probably felt a little too free to see the humor behind her comment…especially since I had a flash back of myself as a young woman and remembered all the ways she had helped make my Bible “authentically mine”. It was – and still is – very special to me because my husband gave it to me for our first wedding anniversary, and I felt the same way about it when it was fresh and new as she does about her new Bible now. Thirty years later, however, as I thumb through its pages, it’s not fresh and new anymore for several different reasons.
I’ve retired that Bible largely because of all the physical ways she and her three siblings helped make it “authentically mine” while they were very young. As I thumbed through it lovingly I passed by little tiny finger smudges and torn pages. Yes, authentically mine. I skimmed by the pages with spit up and … well, more. Yes, authentically mine. And the memories flowed of 2 am feedings, my Bible open on my lap or the table beside me. Or of days so chaotic with colic and teething, ear infections and strep throat when I would hold feverish and/or fussy babies and reach for the comfort of the Word, sometimes reading or quoting passages aloud, hoping they would soothe one or both of us! With four children under the age 6 and a husband who traveled a great deal with his job, finding “quiet time” alone with God was a challenge to say the least; therefore, I kept my Bible close by and available for those cherished one-on-one times with God as they became available. But often I just included my children in my “quiet times” whether reading the Scriptures aloud to them as we played or singing songs of praise and worship as we drove errands, or praying aloud as we rocked and cuddled.
Authentically mine? Wholeheartedly yes! But not so much BECAUSE of the smudges and tears but because of the life journey and growing relationship with my Savior that these stains represent. When I think about the scripture being wholeheartedly mine, I don’t think about a “book of pages”. I think about the experiences of myself as an individual and of my family as a whole – our trials and our triumphs – our daily lives. I think about a young mother and her desire to be a strong woman of God. I think about a set of parents seeking God’s direction in applying Deuteronomy 6 in their desire to raise Godly children who would bring glory and honor to Him. “Authentically mine” is more than words on a page; it is precepts written on my heart.
“Authentically mine” is more than pages bound together; it is my life bound to His by the blood He shed on the cross for my sins.
And even though the actual physical Bible did not belong to any one of them, the time we shared in the Word formed the foundations of the relationship each one of them as with God today.
So, yes, baby, I smile as you start this new phase of your life and begin making this “new” Bible “authentically yours”. Cherish that coffee stain not because it “mars” the pure white pages of your cherished gift but because it is a signpost in your Spiritual walk with Christ. May it be the first of many as your relationship grows stronger and stronger.
Robin Kelley
I am just an ordinary middle-aged woman striving to make a difference one word at a time. . . no matter what hat I am wearing at the time.
2 Comments
Anonymous
Mom, this is so wonderful. Thank you for all of the years you let me help you make your Bible “authentically yours” because now I care to have one that is “authentically mine.” Thank you for being the kind of mom who invests in her kids and teaches them the truth and who spends time in the word. “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:28-29
-Kourtney
Robin
Kourtney, it has been and continues to be my honor and privilege to invest in the lives of my kids. I thank God for entrusting four of His greatest blessings with your daddy and I – and being there to pick up the pieces when we fell.
Never lose your hunger for The Word. Remember an intimate relationship with God and the truth He has written in His word is vital to every area of your life and must come first.