Opinion
How to treat, or mistreat, your Bible!
Jane Walters justifies her habit of defacing her books, especially her Bibles, and encourages us to do the same!
I’m a fan of buying second-hand books – it can be an addictive hobby. I have some ancient specimens in my collection now, and can remember which dusty, wonderful shop each one came from. These days, I tend to order online and when the latest one arrived last week, it had corners down throughout. I have friends who would shudder at the very thought, but I simply let it take me to imagine who it was who’d done so, and why that page was so interesting.
The first Bible I ever ‘defaced’ was my baptism present: a white, silver-edged, slip-cased KJV. In mitigation, my godmother had started it with an indecipherable hand-written dedication inside. Aged about seven, I decided to translate it underneath in thick felt-tip pen: John chapter 15 verses 10 – 12, Jane Elizabeth on her Christening Day 7th March 19**, with love, Godmother Susan.
When I bought my Good News Bible as a newly born-again teenager, it was like a light had been switched on. I could understand what I read! At annual youth camps, the inside of the front and back covers got covered in signatures and best wishes, with phrases and memories I’ve long treasured. Those hand-scrawled mottoes helped me get through high school.
I still use the hard-backed edition of the NIV that came next, with its highlighted verses and margin notes, acting as a kind of journal. Especially poignant is the date written next to Isaiah 54. I based my decision to become a mother on those verses and they became especially precious during the season of enduring four miscarriages.
Fast forward, and I received The Message as a birthday present, replete with a snazzy colourful zipped cover. The written inscription said simply, ‘Every blessing.’ It has certainly proved to be as I use it in my quiet times, and that prayer of blessing has been answered again and again.
One final example of why I don’t mind writing in books and Bibles. I used my dad’s Bible, after his death, whenever I visited my mother. His tiny, precise handwriting penned notes in margins, fostering his late-arrived-at faith. What a privilege for me to be able to chart his conversations with God through His word.
So, what is seen as sacrilege for some is potential treasure for others. I say, fold down your corners, make your margin notes and underlinings! The thought that one day a reader might do that to one of my books is what inspires me to keep writing.
The image is courtesy of pexels.com
Jane Walters is Chair of the Association of Christian Writers and loves to champion writers of all ages and stages. She leads Green Pastures Christian Writers (currently meeting on Zoom) and creative writing retreats at Quiet Waters. Find out more: www.janewyattwalters.com or @readywritersretreats on Instagram.
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