Receiving His Word

Last week a friend and I were cleaning out a rarely used office at school, and we came across a box of books that had clearly been there for quite some time. Of course, the two of us felt as if we had just discovered a treasure, and immediately began to loot the box! (Do not deny it...You would have done the same...especially at a really old school like mine when there is NO TELLING what kind of treasures you might find!)

There were ALL sorts of great educational books! We were both stoked by our find!

We had squabbled over most of the contents in the box, but had finally come to a working consensus and were fairly happy with the items we had gleamed! However, the very last item we pulled out of the box was a Bible. And, in it was an inscription to a person we both knew from their childhood pastor.

Well, my friend (fellow looter) and I both instantly felt incredibly guilty! I mean, we really could not squabble over who was going to get the Bible! For goodness sake, that would be REALLY bad! And, now that we knew who was the real rightful owner of the treasure, we felt slightly (notice I said slightly) obligated to return his belongings to him!

So, we gave him a call, and explained the results of our treasure find to him.

He chucked about our enthrallment with the educational books; however, when we told him about his Bible, he was quiet for an extended period of time and then said, "Man, I have thought about that several times, and wondered where it was...I knew I did not need it to continue my walk with the Lord...but there is something special about it...I guess knowing that it is where I came to receive His word on my own.."

My friend and I then put all of our loot back in the box with the Bible and marked it with his name, and a few hours later he came and picked it up.

So, as He has it perfectly planned, this Sunday Gunnar received HIS Bible at church... (Thanks Lisa for the picture! I am so glad you were on that side!)

And, I could not help but to think of the treasure I had found the week before and what that Bible had meant to that grown man twenty years later.
Dear Gunnar, I pray that you will take His Word and forever receive It with with the same joy with which you received it today... I pray that you will always turn to It and know what a treasure It truly is...And, forever hold dear each word in this Great Book!