Love covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)
I ran my fingers over the crisp pages of my Mother’s Day gift—a new Bible to replace my tattered twenty-year-old one. I’m going to take better care of this Bible, I determined. Maybe it’ll last longer than the other one.
A few weeks later, I placed it on my nightstand after my devotions. As I stood up, my hand brushed against a glass of water. I watched in horror as the pages turned into a soggy mess. I grabbed a towel from the bathroom, wrapped the dripping Bible in it, and ran downstairs.
You’re so careless. You’ve ruined a new Bible. So much for it lasting a long time. My thoughts accused me as I opened the door to the sunroom. I lay the Bible on a wicker chair and dragged it to the spot that got the most sun.
Throughout the day I checked on my Bible, my heart sinking every time I saw its drooping, wet pages.
That night I stood in the sunroom looking at the warped water-wrinkled pages of my Bible. Go buy a new Bible. This one’s no good. It’s a reminder of your carelessness. Perfectionism battled with relief that my Bible was still usable. It’s fine. It’s not that damaged. I can still use it. I picked it up and turned it over, feeling the bumpiness of the pages. “Child, I love you just the way you are,” a whisper floated into my heart.
Over the years, I’ve come to treasure that Bible. It has become a cherished reminder that God’s love covers the multitude of my imperfections.
Digging deeper: What does God’s perfect love mean to you? Reflect on Psalm 136.
Excerpted from School Is Where the Home Is: 180 Devotions for Parents by Anita Mellott, copyright © 2011 by Anita Mellott. Used by permission of Judson Press, www.judsonpress.com.
Author, and homeschooling mom, Anita Mellott has post-graduate degrees in Communications and Journalism. She worked as an editor with Habitat for Humanity International, and headed the Department of Journalism at her alma mater in India. She blogs at From the Mango Tree.
This posting made me smile. A very dear friend who passed away a number of years ago liked to read her Bible in the bathtub. One day, it slipped out of her hands and splashed into the hot sudsy water. Like you, she was heartbroken.
ReplyDeleteWhen the pages dried out, the Bible was about twice the size in thickness as it was originally. As it lay on a table, the pages fanned out like an accordion.
We called it her fluffy Bible and she used it as it was until the Lord took her home after a battle with ovarian cancer.
God's Word can't be outdone by a little water!
Boy do I know that feeling. I'm learning just that year how to really take each each thought captive. I never realized until recently how much negative talk my mind was doing. Those thoughts are not of God. I replace them when I realize them with scripture that is quite the opposite. Thanks Anita
ReplyDeletePam, I love your comment: "God's Word can't be outdone by a little water!"
ReplyDeleteGina: I'm still trying to learn to discern between truth and the various things my mind dwells on sometimes.