hidden in a good book

Don’t you love a good book? We do. My family members mark the pages and take notes in the books we love. We read them over and over again. Sometimes, we have lively discussions over the contents at meals. My daughter, Jael, loves Shakespeare and my husband, Bryce, will often lean towards Wendell Berry. The rest of the table moans at the very idea of loving a Shakespearean play or reading poetry from a farmer. With or without Shakespeare or Wendell Berry, there is always a good book. The one our family agrees on is the Bible.

Mary’s Bible

A few weeks ago, I mentioned my mother-in-law’s passing, but what I didn’t mention was the hours I spent one evening digging through her Bible. Tasked with speaking at her graveside service for our family, I couldn’t think of a better way to honor her than to use scriptures I found there.

Just like a good book, there were passages underlined and notes in the margins. There was a list of the years she read through the entire Bible. This was her “good book”. It was the one that she read over and over again.

I was captivated by it.

I intended to pick up Mary’s Bible, turn to a passage or two that she loved and prepare to read them at her graveside. That’s not what happened. I couldn’t put it down. I wasn’t reading her whole Bible and I wasn’t reading from cover to cover. I was simply reading everything that was underlined and all the notes in the margin.

Unlike reading a commentary or a study guide though, I was peering into Mary’s heart. I was seeing when she needed God and I was seeing the joy she found in Him. One of my favorites was Isaiah 59:21 because it was clear she wanted her faith to be evident in her sons and their families.

“‘My Spirit, who is in you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children or from the mouths of their descendants from this time and forever,’ says the Lord.” - Isaiah 59:21 “Thank you for that promise!” - Mary Flurie

In the security of a one on one conversation with God, Mary’s Bible revealed to me who she really was. Mary wrote, “Thank you, Lord!” several times. She mentioned the names of family alongside verses. Passages were dated as she leaned on God’s word during hard times. Copious notes appeared on passages she studied thoroughly. I could even see her markings change as her health failed. This was Mary’s good book.

It was a special evening reading though my mother-in-law’s Bible, but it has me wondering if our children and grandchildren will get to peer into our deepest thoughts and witness the relationship we had with God. If we read and mark an electronic Bible (and sometimes, I do), our children may lose a valuable connection to us.

Although, I think there are many positives for e-books, each member of our family has struggled to use them. There is just something that draws us to the physical copy of the book. We love to hold it in our hands, underline passages, and write in the margins.

What does that look like in 50 years? Will our children and grandchildren page through our Bibles and our good books and see our handwritten notes on a page? Or will the deep personal connection of finding notes in your grandmother’s bible and underlinings in your grandfather’s poetry books be lost?

Searching for wisdom and asking for grace,

Jody