The story of my Bible

I was finally taking my Christianity seriously, that’s what I told myself. I was looking for a NIV Bible but hadn’t taken the time to actually go out and get one. What I did take time to do was go to Rita’s for the free Italian Ice day. Myself and my fiance (now wife) got our a treat and while eating we noticed a little thrift store right next to it. We decided to go inside, they had all different kinds of things, we walked around and then I noticed there was a trunk full of Bibles, NIV in fact. I asked how much one cost and the man told me he just keeps them here to give out to people. I thanked the man and quickly grabbed one after my fiance and I paid for our items we picked out.

It felt special, even though it was a basic bible, not the fancy kind you see on amazon with pictures and gold pages but it felt special because it was exactly what I needed, even though I hadn’t taken the time to go out and seek it. I also remember thinking about how great it was that the man was giving away Bibles in his store, spreading the Word of God without trying to make any money off of it.

I took the Bible home, I decided I was going to read it cover to cover. Shortly into my reading I became overwhelmed, I remembered Solomon asking for wisdom from God, so I prayed and after I did the Bible started to flow into my mind everything made sense. After reading the whole Bible, I got an idea of God’s FULL story, it answered so many questions. I understood how God has never changed, he always showed us love and compassion. His people continued to reject him but God always forgave. The Father sent his Son to bring the World back to the way he intended it to be, filled with the same love, compassion and forgiveness he shows to us.

However that does not mean I was being a good child of God. Years past and things slowly became harder and harder in life. It seemed life was worse as a Christian rather than better. There was many struggles my fiance and I faced, financially, both our Dad’s health declined and eventually died. We didn’t know where we were going next in our life. I lashed out at God and wanted to know where he was? Why was all these things happening without a real answer as to what to do? I wanted to know why Jesus couldn’t come back sooner? How bad is the World going to get before enough is enough?

I ended up throwing my Bible onto the floor, the outside of the spine was broken. The Bible I had through my journey for the past few years was damaged. I felt extreme guilt, I felt my Bible was ruined. But then I opened it.

God’s words were not damaged, they never could be damaged. 

I kept that Bible and will always have that Bible as a reminder of personal struggle, a reminder to keep faith strong and that even though we or our things in our life may be broken God’s covenant with us will never be.

I realized God came into my life at the perfect time, struggles were coming and I don’t know how I would have got past them without God. He was right there with me the whole time, the answers were there I just needed to listen. Jesus will return at the right time but in the meantime God wants as many people saved as possible, so when it looks like the World is so dark that’s when the light of the World needs to shine. That is when us Christians need to do everything we can to make the World a better place. Like God wants.

 

The Journey: Conclusion

Woman on a Bridge

It was Memorial Day and we took Jane’s Dad out to dinner. We had decided to go to Double T Diner and take the back roads home. But at the last minute Jane suggested we go to TGI Fridays, so it made sense just to go the normal way home.

On the way there is a bridge you have to cross, when we arrived at that point we noticed two cars in front of us had come to a stop, the passenger in the second car was outside, talking frantically on his cell phone. Jane saw a young lady standing next to the bridge, peering over the side. Jane yelled at me to “STOP THE CAR!”

Jane rushed out of the car, when she did the young lady began to swing her leg over the bridge. By the time Jane got to her, she was sitting on the bridge, legs dangling over the side, getting ready to jump. Jane got to her just in time and began consoling her, rubbing her back. The young woman was a nurse who just got served with divorce papers, she had two little twin girls at home but felt like she didn’t want to burden anyone anymore.

I was frozen, not sure what to do. I wanted to pull her off the bridge but I was in her line of sight. What if she saw me and jumped? The wife of the man on the cell phone got out of the car and went over to them. As it turned out the woman was a nurse also, and began talking with her. Jane began to pray (she told me later it was the hardest she had ever prayed in her life). She was praying for a miracle to get this young lady off the bridge.

Than out of the blue a large man came from behind the young lady and pulled her off the bridge. The young lady began to weep, Jane patted the man on the back and thanked him. I watched the man lean over the side of the bridge, breath a sigh and stare out into to the water. Everyone was talking to the young lady now, I looked down at my watch and checked my cell phone, when I looked up the man was gone. I was puzzled who this was and asked the people in the other car if the man was with them, they told me he wasn’t.

No one saw the man arrive or leave, there was no additional cars, we heard no engines in idle, and we were on the middle of a bridge. Who was the man? Was it an angel from God? No matter what conclusions you draw if it wasn’t for Jane, the nurse and the mysterious man those children would have been without their mother.

After watching her help save that woman, I realized Jane had saved me, that’s what she had always tried to do for people. Since she was a little girl she would show kindness, giving to the homeless (one time as a child she gave a homeless man her Happy Meal), being there for friends and family in times of need, always being loyal and showing love to the people she cared about. She would forgive people, and love them, never giving up on her kindness. She was a better Christian than I was even before she was a Christian. God sent her to me, to change my life, to save my life, she was everything I had been asking for.

I realize now that no matter what you do in your life, no matter what bridges you burn there will be a cross for you to walk on to your salvation.