Clean Sneakers

We have ten bookshelves in our house that are filled with books.
Some shelves are filled with classic books that I have read to my children.
Some shelves are filled with history books.
Some shelves contain theology books or books written by great thinkers and theologians.

In my mind’s eye, I know where any book can be found.
I can go to the correct shelf and pull out a book I am looking for at any given time.
The shelves are getting so full that some books are now laying horizontally on top of others.
Short of buying some new shelves, additional books will have to be stored this way.

Books bring me comfort.
I think the presence of books in a room makes the atmosphere warm and inviting.
It always bothers me whenever I go into a furniture store and see books on a shelf or table.
The books are not real; they are simply props that an interior designer placed there.

Not so in our house.
Our books are well loved.
My books are filled with writing and lots of underlining.
I often think that no one would ever want my books because they are so used.

However, that is part of the reason why one should want a book.
The margin notations and the underlined sentences give insight into the owner of the book.
You begin to see the heart of the person who loved the book enough to make it their very own.
My Bible is now almost 25 years old and is the epitome of a book that is greatly used.

When I read my Bible each day, I am able to read notes and comments from years before.
The notes remind me of something that was happening in my life at the time.
The notes remind me of how I leaned on God’s Word for answers.
The notes remind me of answered prayer and prayers that still need to be answered.

My old, worn out Bible is very precious to me.
It is covered with a transparent book cover that has been replaced quite often.
The transparent cover always seems to rip along the spine first.
Some of the pages of my Bible are falling out and have been taped along the binding.

I never take this Bible out of my house.
I have another Bible that I bring to church.
This Bible is my life as I have journeyed with Christ.
My Bible tells a story.

When I taught a children’s Sunday school class years ago, I used an analogy to teach a lesson.
We talked about getting new sneakers.
We talked about how clean the sneakers are when they first come out of the box.
We talked about what our new sneakers look like after a week of playing.

Some children had stories about how their sneakers got wet when they jumped in puddles.
They had stories about getting their sneakers muddy when they played at recess.
There was the story about the sneakers that were eaten by their dog.
There was the story about dropping pepperoni pizza on their new white shoes.

We discussed what having dirty sneakers really meant.
If your sneakers stayed clean for the whole year, what would that tell you? I asked them.
That we didn’t play hard enough, one little boy said from the back of the room.
There it was.

Your sneakers stay clean for a whole year and that means that you didn’t play hard enough.
I added, What does it mean if your Bible stays clean without any wrinkles?
The same little boy answered again from the back of the room.
It means that we’re not opening it and reading it, he said.

There it was.

I told my Sunday school class about a quote from Charles Spurgeon.
A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.
They laughed.
However, after our sneaker analogy, they got the idea.

Some things are just meant to be used.
Some things are not intended to sit on the shelf gathering dust.
Some things are meant to be worn and broken in.
Some things are not supposed to be merely a decoration.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)

Think of the lights in your home.
Whether fancy or plain, whether a table lamp or a floor lamp, they are intended to illuminate.
How foolish we are if we buy lamps only for decoration.
How foolish we are if we stumbled around in the dark when the light was at our fingertips.

It is the same for God’s Word.
How foolish we are if we have a Bible on the table and never open it.
How foolish we are if we stumble around in the dark when the Light is at our fingertips.
How foolish we are if we do not even have a Bible or have never read God’s Word.

What does it mean if your Bible stays clean without any wrinkles? I asked the class.
It means that we’re not opening it and reading it, the little boy said correctly.
How foolish.
How very foolish.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:7)

God tells us clearly how to become wise.
Being wise means to have a fear of the Lord, a respect and honor for Him.
God clearly tells us what it means to be a fool.
Being a fool means to despise wisdom and discipline.

Having a pristine Bible is the same as having clean sneakers.
More than likely, the Bible is not getting much use.
The little boy’s answer was correct.
You are not opening your Bible and reading it.

Sedentary or active?
The condition of your sneakers will be a good indicator.
Wise or foolish?
The condition of your Bible will be a good litmus test.