One of THOSE People

I'm one of *those* people. You knowl the ones who write all over their Bibles.

When I was growing up the church I attended taught that the Bible 1. HAD to be King James version, or you'd go to Hell and 2. should never be desecrated with notes or scribbles or anything.

I've defied both of those rules in my old age. I use the NASB -- I believe that translation to be closest to the original text. The King James Version was written to provide the common people during *that* time with access to the Scriptures. Why shouldn't we have a version containing modern day language?

Anyway...

I also scribble (write) in my Bible. My writing often resembles scribble more than anything else, so... I underline things, jot notes in the borders of the pages and use the harder pages in the front and back of my Bible as note pages. Why waste paper? :)

Every once ina while something in the notes will catch my eye and remind me of some truth I had heard but forgotten. Sunday I had such an experience. Notes from two separate ocassions stood out to me.

Note 1 said, "God opposes the prideful. Maybe you are being opposed so that you won't be so independent." Ummm... OUCH!

Pride and independence are probably my absolute biggest struggles. I have my guesses as to why that is, but I'll spare you the gory details. Just Friday I was thinking (whining, lamenting, whining some more) about how I hate our financial status right now and how I swore I'd never end up broke and blah blah blah. I was even trying to figure a way to work and keep Eddie with me. Silly me.

I *knew* beyond a shadow of a doubt when Eddie was born that I needed to be at home (or at teh hospital) with him. However, I was terrified of not having insurance or a roof over our heads or whatever. So, in my natural, sinful, stubborn, prideful, independent state I attempted to work from home in between pumping milk and visiting the hospital and trying to figure out how we were going to pay the astonomical hospital bills.

Suddenly my remote connection to work was no longer working and no one at the office could figure out why, much less fix the problem. So, I was out of that job. I was okay though because I was using my Mac to do some freelance design work. I had a few decent-sized jobs lined up. Wouldn't you know that my Mac died completely too. Utterly dead. I had no way at all to work.

Funny how that happened. Our bills were still paid though and I was much happier being able to spend more time with our son. I shoulda learned this lesson the first time. So, seeing that note on Sunday reminded me that I need to do what I know I need to do and stop trying to play God.

Note #2 said, "The crucified man can only look in one direction, he can not go back and he has no plans of his own."

Well, I reckon that means I should stop trying to plan out every detail of my life and just (to borrow a phrase from Lindsey) enjoy the journey.

My will doesn't really matter and only seems to cause trouble -- I am a redhead afterall. If I am obedient, the rest will fall into place according to HIS will. Sometimes that may stink for me, but it will be worth it in the end -- according to 1 Peter and Job 23:10.