Spring Clean Your Bible!

Is spring cleaning a thing of the past? My mother’s spring ritual was a virtual killer of a time. Everything that didn’t move got washed, scrubbed, scraped, vacuumed, polished, and rearranged. It was a frenzy of activity repeated in every household on our street. Perhaps it was relief from the long Midwestern winters and anticipation of the temperate days of Spring. Perhaps it was just being able to see the sun and finally open up the windows…and they’d better be sparkling!

I wonder if that industriousness reflected the frustration the women felt being isolated stay-at-home moms, living in the country without the luxury of second cars. We had a large kitchen and my mom often would rearrange the contents of every cupboard. Can you imagine looking for a drinking glass in the usual place, only to find it’s been put somewhere else? The family complained and so, to quiet the grumbling, she labeled all the cupboards with their contents. We had one marked “large bowels” and one marked “small bowels”. The intent was good, the spelling not so much. You can imagine the teasing she endured.

Recently, I engaged in some spring cleaning—not my home but my Bible. Every so often, I go through and clean out some of the odds and ends I’ve slipped into the pages. It was an interesting activity and I made three different discoveries:

 

1. Treasures:  How comforting to read the verses I’ve highlighted through the years—verses that have meant much to me in my study of the Bible. They are words that whisper their inspiration to me over and over. Occasionally there is a comment written by a chapter or verse reflecting something I heard in a sermon or at a retreat. It’s always meaningful because I don’t write frivolously in my Bible and so, if I’ve noted it, it’s important. There are slips of paper torn from church bulletins with little nuggets of inspiration or statements of hope for me to hang on to. One of the most treasured items is a photo of a mom and her six-year old daughter I met while on a short-term mission trip. I don’t know why I took the picture but later I found out the little girl was seriously ill and most likely died soon after. My heart is moved every time I see that photo and remember the mom who grieves the loss of her sweet child.

2. Documentary:  In addition to finding treasures both sweet and bitter, the annotations in my Bible serve as a documentary of my growing faith as a Christian. I see verses and comments that have upheld me through difficult times, helping me grow closer to the Lord. There’s even a paper with a diagram of my Walk of Faith, an assignment from a Bible study. As I look back I see how God has guided me, even during those sparse times when I was distant from him. A very special item is an index card with a list of specific ways God worked. The year 2008 was my year of answered prayer and I jotted down the many ways, both large and small, God’s plan for our family unfolded. It almost takes my breath away as I review the list of his working in our lives. He is in charge, his plan is good, and he cares. Reading this card is a faith-builder for me and encourages me not to lose hope.

3. Instruction:  I learned from my Biblical spring cleaning there are pages unmarked and not very wrinkled. The corners are all intact and the pages even seem to stick together—from lack of use, I’m sorry to say. Those are the obscure books of the Old Testament. Who reads Habakkuk or Lamentations or Nahum? Obviously, not I. The New Testament books in my Bible, especially the Gospels and Philippians, are fairly worn with use, as are the Psalms, Proverbs, and David’s exciting life story in the Samuels. Every part of this wonderful book is important and has words I need to hear. I must study even the little known books of the Old Testament.

Do you need to spring clean your Bible to discover some marvelous treasures or to trace the documentary of your faith or to learn some instruction about your time in this book? Try it and enjoy the process. Trip through your Bible and give it a good spring cleaning without tossing out treasures. Instead, tuck them deep into the recesses of your brain and let their encouragement wash over you anew.


And then, let’s hear it for Habakkuk! Scholars say this is one of the strongest affirmations of faith in all Scripture (comment from study notes of the NIV Bible, page 1391):  “…yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” (Habakkuk 3: 18-19)