I grew up in one of those super conservative southern Baptist churches. Where we sat in the same pew each week, wore white frilly dresses and sang from hymnals while an organist played the music to the closing song.
My pastor preached from the King James Version, and I can quote most Bible verses using “thee” and “thou” with precise accuracy. It wasn’t wrong or right, it’s just what I knew.
I had a pink Precious Moments Bible I carried to Sunday School (it’s probably still tucked away in a box at my parent’s house) and I remember how excited I was to get a “big girl” Bible when I was in youth group. {You know, because Precious Moments wasn’t “cool” anymore…I was also like 15 or something!}
But growing up, Bibles were to be read, not written in. So the first time I highlighted a verse in my Bible, it felt weird. I rarely did it. And write inside a Bible….why would you do that?
I even went off to Bible college and studied the Bible for a year. Y,all. I cannot tell you how exciting it was to go to the local bookstore and buy different versions of the Bible…after all, if I was going to study the Bible, I may as well learn from different versions. ESV, NASB, NIV….I wanted them all. BUT, I did not write in my Bible!!! I barely allowed a colored highlighter to touch it.
When I got married I remember telling my husband I wanted him to get me a Bible for my wedding gift, mostly because I wanted to have my married name engraved on it. After all, I didn’t want to bring my old Bible with my maiden name on it to church now that I was married. So on our wedding night a beautiful purple leather covered Bible with my new name was on my nightstand.
It was beautiful and I loved it….but I never wrote in it! Until I did.
Several years ago, frustrated and confused as to why reading the Bible didn’t “click” for me….I went back to teaching 101. As an English/reading teacher I used to tell my students all the time that in order to learn from a text you had to interact with the text. Break apart the long passages into short passages, mark the main ideas, write your questions in the margins and highlight/circle the keywords your eye finds.
DUH!
So one day, I did the unthinkable. I sat down at my desk, Bible in hand and started reading….this time I held a pen and very carefully marked my text. Every time I had a question, or something struck me as insteresting, or I noticed a repetition of words, phrases, etc. I marked it.
Slowly, my Bible pages became a slew of colored pen and highlighter markings and notes, and I discovered I wasn’t just reading about God, I was interacting with God.
What used to feel so foreign to me suddenly became a necessity. Pages once crisp and clean, soon became blotted and ink stained. I found as the pages of my Bible became more “dirty” my heart became more “clean” because the Word of God became alive in me.
Writing in my Bible taught me a few things:
1– Writing in my Bible slowed me down.
Rather than rushing through my Bible reading to be done, writing my notes, thoughts and questions there next to the verses forced me to slow down and process everything I was reading. Large amounts of time were spent on short passages while I began to sift through the meaning, purpose and intent behind the words.
2- God speaks to us most “audibly” through His word.
I often want to know what God thinks about things, but I want Him to do it via a phone call or voicemail. Just send me a text message and let me know what to do. But it doesn’t work that way. As I began to write on the pages of my Bible, I realized God was talking back to me in the verses. As I brought Him my questions and concerns, I could hear Him whisper His answers through the verses I would read. It is impossible to know God’s heart and character if we do not know His word.
3- Scripture became personal to me.
The verses I memorized for years were great, but they were always meant for someone else, never for me. As I marked out verses that touched my heart, and wrote in the margins why they impacted me, what insight I gained, or even just the date that I learned something about those verses, I realized God’s word is personal for me. That’s the power of the LIVING, ACTIVE, HOLY WORD of God!
As I wrote in my story on the pages of my Bible, He wrote His story inside my soul.
Healing became real to me. Redemption became real to me. Freedom became real to me. As I viewed my time in Scripture as a conversation back and forth, I found a God who responds to me….and oh, how I fell in love.
I am fully aware that for some people, they just can’t write in their Bibles. I get it. I was there. But I am also aware there are many people who don’t know they have permission to write in their Bibles….I was one of them. If you can’t write in your Bible, then start with building the discipline of writing the Bible. (No, not the whole thing out at once!) Write out in a journal the verses that speak to you. Write your questions. Write your ideas about passages. Write back to God, after you read what He wrote to you.
So today sweet friend, you have permission to write in your Bible. You have permission to write back to God. You have permission to ask questions of His word when you don’t understand. You have the right to mark down the date when something becomes real to you. You have the chance to draw the arrows to connect the story of His story inside your story. And if you’re looking for a way to help make your time in Scripture come alive….try writing in your Bible. You never know, you may just love what happens when you do!
