Esotropiart

Something awesome occurred to me while reflecting on what God has done for me this evening. I remembered a resource to compliment much of what I am going through, especially the thoughts that dawned on me tonight. My old Bible from high school is somewhere around here. Many passages are underlined and highlighted that pertain to trusting in God over men. In fact, when I look back at my life, I recall stories of people failing and disappointing me. By God's providence and kindness I believe I maintained a fairly healthy perspective in this area - not losing all hope in community with others, but running to God when others fail. That is to say until I became distracted by the things of this world for a time. Now that God has restored me, the lessons return to bear more fruit in me. Thank goodness!

Naturally this means my list of blog topics will grow even more, rather than shrink as I write. I have enough material for quite a while. I've been prioritizing the recent experiences because I like to report while in the middle of the ordeal, to record the thoughts more passionately. For the other topics, I'm relying on my notes to revive the thoughts later. Who knows if that will work.

So what's so great about an overused Bible? Aren't Bibles holy, to be kept in perfect condition? After all, it is the very Word of God!? True, we should have a respect for the Word, but not so much in the written pages and books it occupies. This is a book that should be severely used, if there ever was such a book!

When I look at my dilapidated NIV Student Bible, I am again reminded of that last period of my life when I was consumed by a passion for God's Word. In my adolescence I was pretty familiar with Scripture. It helped to have one Bible for many years. Before online Bible search tools were commonplace, I was able to find many passages out of shear familiarity with the one I overused. Sometimes I could picture which position on the page a well-known verse was found.

I'm an advocate of marking up Bibles with all sorts of notes, underlining, highlighting, doodles and so on. While I like to keep things in fairly good working and presentable order, a tool as useful as the Bible should show signs of use and wear.

Had I not marked up my Bible and kept a journal, I probably would not be able to recall the experiences that brought me to where I am. This would be a shameful loss, for I would not appreciate God's work in me nearly as much.

Do you find yourself silently complaining that it seems God doesn't work in your life? Does it appear He is giving an unfair dose of His provision or presence to people around you? How about seeking Him with all your heart, and while doing so, watch out for signs of His presence. Record these "God sightings", and not only will you have no excuse for thinking He's not working six months from now, but I believe God will dispense more of Himself as an answer to such a faithful response to His work. I'm speaking a bit from experience in this.

Our most obvious guideline for recording the works of God and life events is the Old Testament of the Bible. The entire collection of books presents a colorful history of God's dealings with His people, along with many priceless life lessons (not to mention divine prophecies and miracles, etc.). Through these ancient writings we also have knowledge of sin and the Law. Without the Old Testament the work of Christ wouldn't mean much. We could not possibly understand what led up to God's sacrifice or why it was necessary. In the same vein, you might understand better where you are today if you had recorded events prior. In fact, you might have seen patterns developing that were taking you down a darkened path and possibly have avoided some heartache and setbacks. It's a sad thing to live in cycles, not learning a thing from previous mistakes - or forgetting them altogether.

I'm in need of much wisdom and have an insatiable longing for the truth of God. To aid in my quest for closeness with God and freedom in life, I think it will be profitable to review some of the places I've been. Starting with my old Bible, I will review some of the passages and thoughts that inspired me in my youth. If time and sanity permit, I may also review some of my many written journals. Hopefully it will be encouraging to see where God has brought me after all these years. Possibly some areas will have devolved, some "maintained" (can be good or bad), and others greatly improved. I encourage you to develop habits that allow for some of this self-introspection if you aren't already doing so. Some people are more equipped for this sort of activity, but I believe anyone can make efforts at it and yield benefits. I consider myself somewhat of a master thought recorder... so don't ask me for advice. I might get too excited and discourage you from trying with all my grandiose ideas! :) Start small so you don't get tired of it and see it as just another chore. Also, make a decision about how much positive versus negative stuff you'll record. I tend not to record specific details of painful things, so I don't have to relive it later. Just an outline, so I can appreciate God's deliverance. My recordings tend to be pretty positive and edifying - though VERY emotional poignant and brutally honest at times.

Recording your thoughts is an investment that you will not realize until years later. Like brushing your teeth... MAN I WISH I WOULD HAVE DONE MORE OF THAT WHEN I WAS YOUNG! That's what you'll probably say later if you don't record some of your "personal history" starting now.