I found this article over at Fish with Trish
Are you leaving this behind?
Posted: 20 Feb 2008 01:57 PM CST
I have noticed frequently, individuals leaving their Bible's behind at church. In my last church, the staff filled an entire tub with at least 20 plus Bibles, a few jackets and other miscellaneous things that people had left behind. I got to thinking, "That's interesting, no one seems to leave their cell phone, i-pod, wallet, purse, or other "valuable" things....they cling to those tightly." Then I thought further, "I wonder if we place a higher value on these material things than we do the very treasure of God's Word.
About three weeks ago my wife left her Bible in the Sunday school class she helps lead for 10/11 year girls. It was a very hectic morning and in fact we were some of the last to leave church that morning.
ReplyDeleteWe were almost home when she slapped me on the leg (not cool when you're driving and not expecting it)and yelled, "I left my Bible at church in my Sunday school class." She was in panic mode. It was like, and rightly so, as if she left her diamond ring on a table in a fast food joint.
She went back right away to church. Down to the classroom; no Bible. She was crying. I told her to check the lost and found; no Bible, more crying. She leaves voicemails with the other leader of the class but she does'nt return the calls that day. All that day she is like a mom who's child didn't come home at the appointed time. Going over and over in her mind where that Bible might be.
The next morning the lady she left the voicemails with calls her and tells my wife that she has her Bible. She got her husband to try to run us down before we drove away but it was too late.
Sometimes 'things' do distract us. I think the key to Trish's story is that there is an entire 'tub' of Bibles at that church. Bibles left that folks never claimed again.
To my wife there is nothing more important than her copy of the Word of God and until that Bible was back in her hands she would not rest easy.