What's in your Bible?

A current advertising campaign asks: “What’s in your wallet?” Recently, I thought of an interesting twist: “What’s in your Bible?”

The idea came as I visited my mother who spoke of a special note she received from a beloved nephew. “I’ll should show it to you,” she said, as she went over and picked up her Bible. Placed between the pages were countless notes and pictures. Clearly, these were the things that mattered to her most.

At first, I wondered if any of the notes I had written her were stored there, then if the placement was significant . . . What was stored beside the lilies of the field? The 23rd psalm? Book of Job? In the end, however, it was just the fact that she stored treasured things in the pages of her Bible that moved me most. I couldn’t help but wonder what I would put in the pages of mine?

The diplomas I worked so hard to receive wouldn’t be there. The few awards or citations that have come my way wouldn’t make the cut either. Job offers, or subsequent W-2’s, would be left outside as well.

For me, the hand-drawn birth announcements for each of my children would be tucked inside, probably near psalm 139.  The note my father wrote me to say how proud he was of me (after he saw how disappointed I was not to win a graduation award) would be stored near the father’s greeting of the prodigal son. And the letter I received from my Goddaughter while sitting in a 28-day rehab program would be folded beside the hope of having life, and having it more abundantly.

Bibles, while thick, have limited pages. We would have to select carefully, you and I, but my hunch is the exercise would remind us what really matters.

“What’s in your Bible?”