Somewhere in the conversation he mentioned toting around his old leather-bound Bible again. The small maroon Word of God was with him when he went to Iraq in 2003, so it holds a lot of sentimental value. He's managed to keep it in good condition all these years, despite leaving it on top of the car and driving off. Twice. I wasn't so sure it was a good idea. What if he lost it again? I asked. Isn't it better to keep it safe at home?
"What good is it to keep a Bible on the shelf if all it does is gather dust?" he said.
Good point.
Too many times I leave my Bible on the shelf. Or on the desk. Or in the car. Or on the table. Or at the church. But wherever I leave it, it looks the same: unopened. Unopened is no way for a Bible to be.
Though I haven't been able to find references, I've read in blogs and articles describing how many cultures treat the Bible with a reverence I rarely see. I've read that Koreans keep their Bible on a shelf above their heads as a sign of respect. I've been told that some Muslim converts won't set any items on top of their Bible. I've heard of villages that have only one Bible for everybody. That one Bible, though, is everything to them.
I've heard incredible Bible stories that have nothing to do with the text. Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian whose family was arrested for resisting the Nazis during World War II, snuck a Bible into a concentration camp by tearing the Bible apart and taping each page together in a line. She had a string around her neck and the pages fell down her back. The Gideons, businessmen dedicated to distributing the Bible, tell stories of prisoners who use pages to roll cigarettes or joints. Instead of refusing to give prisoners Bibles, they ask that they read each page before tearing it out for a smoke. More often than not, their lives are changed. Though they might not stop smoking, the prisoners will find something else to roll their cigarettes.
Knowing how precious the Bible is, why does it stay on my shelf? Why is it important to keep the pages pristine? Isn't it better that they be wrinkled, dirty and written on? Isn't it better that those pages be worn from study than beautiful from neglect?
I've decided that it's time I take my Bible off of the shelf. It's time to write notes and turn down the page corners. It's time for my Bible to be open.
After all, what good is it to keep a Bible on the shelf if all it does is gather dust?
