Marking in my Bible

As a child, we often opened our Vacation Bible School each day by singing “The B-I-B-L-E” and by saying a pledge to honor the Bible. For many years I thought it was wrong to mark in my Bible. Recently, however, I began to see contemporary Bibles designed with large margins specifically for note-taking and recording prayers. I decided to begin noting passages that touched my heart during important times, both happy and sad. I added names of people I prayed for and significant events and dates. I underlined passages that came from hymns I remembered from childhood. Slowly, my Bible came alive as a record of the many ways God touches my life each day.

I have been reading The Upper Room every morning since I was a teenager. Recently, I started noting in my Bible the passage for each day’s meditation, along with the date. It has been enlightening to see which passages are new to me, and it is uplifting when I return to a beloved passage the devotional has led me to time and time again. 

I thank God for scripture and for devotionals that guide us in reading. I hope my annotated Bible can be shared with my family someday as a record of the way God has worked in my life day by day.