Coincidence, I don't think so...

It's interesting the things that we're guided to do. For Em it's was a trip to the beach, for me it was finally ripping open the plastic surrounding my new bible. My new bible wasn't bought by me, or even directly for me, but I was presented with an opportunity to receive it. I was drawn to my bible.

The bible I've been using was bought for me back in 1998 when I started going to church with a friend. It was bought so that I could fit the picture of what a certain person felt I should look like if I was going to church on a regular basis. I'm pretty sure I helped pick it out, as well as the cover for it, though it wasn't bought for what I feel is the right reason. It's a teen study bible and when I got it I was just that, a teen. Now I'm 26 and it's still the one I use for reference much more often than the one my gramma has sitting out.

I should start by saying that this all goes back to camp. I never had the words to blog about camp. I think it's because I fear that I got far more out of it than I gave to the kids. For quite a while that has left a darkness within me that I couldn't explain. The whole time I was at camp I felt like the kid. I'd sit in chapel and listen to the stories for the very first time, thinking that's really in my bible?! Even worse, I'd sit in the counselor meetings while just the kids were in chapel and think, wait I'm missing pieces here... I can't keep up if I'm not in there. I wouldn't just stand there and sing the songs, I felt them move through me, felt Him move through me. For the first time in a long time I was learning what it was like to have a relationship with God and not be questioned about it. I know that while I was going through all of this that I was also giving to my kids, but if I would have had the faith that I do now, could I have been a better counselor?

Ok, back to the bible. I was sitting in chapel one day next to my little one, who was busy coloring, I had her new bible and I was following along and looking to see what extra stuff it had. I got to the back and found all kinds of questions and devotions. Then something caught my eye. It was a plan for reading the bible. It takes the highlights of each book. Seeing it got me kind of excited. I thought that it was exactly what I needed to actually make it through the bible. Before I'd always started at page 1 and trudged my way through the bible page by page. I don't think I ever made it out of Genesis. I figured that once I had money to spend again I'd make the trip to get a new bible and figure out a plan. God, it seems had a better idea and one that was sure to get me going faster.

The end of the next week I got the call from Kathy about doing week two. That Sunday as I sat and listened to Shirley talk about various things she brought up that there were a few extra bibles from the ones they had purchased for the kids. I sat there and at first thought, no I can't take one. I have a bible and I don't want to take anything that's not mine. Obviously God had a different idea. When it came time to go over and get our supplies I was looking for a shirt in my size when someone asked if I wanted one of the bibles that they were pulling out of the box. It struck me at that moment that I was supposed to have that bible and that I no longer had an excuse for putting off reading my bible.

Now it's been almost a month that I've been staring at my new bible all snug in it's plastic wrap, but last night I just felt moved to pick up the scissors and open it. I sat on my bed and flipped through until I found the plan for reading it. I found where I was supposed to start reading and the most amazing thing happened. I completely lost track of time! Flipping back and forth from the text to the plan, taking time to stop and think about the questions that accompany each section and then moving on. Ok, so I'm still stuck in Genesis, but I think that this time I'll actually get through it and move on. I can't wait to find out what I'll learn!