A Good Read

While hovering over a friend in the ER waiting room I had conversations with others who were coming and going for treatment. One woman, who appeared to be in her 70’s, lamented about her hearing loss and not being able to afford hearing aids. She said, “I don’t know if you read the Bible, but it says to expect problems. I’m a JW [Jehovah’s Witness] and things are going to get bad.” I was struck by the phrase, “I don’t know if you read the Bible…”. The statement did not carry the same sense of judgment that can come when we ask others if they are a Christian, if they are religious, or if they go to church. We promote the Bible as the Word of God, but maybe we should also promote it as one of our favorite books and as a good read. The psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105 NIV).