a little backwards

Apparently it takes something a little strange on a morning radio show to get me back to blogging...

I was listening to a radio station this morning on my way to work that was promoting the work of an organization that produces Bibles for the world. I know and admire this organization, but the personal story that was shared over the air as a way of encouraging people to give money towards purchasing Bibles made my eyebrows raise (yeah, can't to the cool one-eyebrow thing) and wonder if they didn't have it a little backwards.

The woman who called in had spent time in a country in Eastern Europe on a short-term mission trip. She found herself in the home of a woman who wanted to share her most valuable possession with her new friends. It was a Bible, but no ordinary Bible. It had been her only Bible for over 50 years, during which all of the Russian occupation and whatnot had clouded the Christian scene in Eastern Europe. But it wasn't just that it was her only, and old, Bible. It had been pieced together word-by-word with words that were originally published/printed in a newspaper. She, and many other faithful believers, had called to mind countless Bible verses that they held in their memory and "put the Bible back together." I was awed and inspired, and put in my place, because I certainly could not even begin to embark on such a journey (though, perhaps, there is beauty in such a project coming out of a community rather than from one individual).

Anyway, what bothered me so much was that when the story was finished, the woman telling it, as well as the two people on the radio show, could only talk about "those poor people in the world who don't have Bibles when we in America have so many." I wanted to say, "shame on me for not knowing Scripture in my heart so that no matter what the circumstances I will have God's Word in my heart!" I wished that they had even given a nod to this. They were so intent on raising money to send Bibles to the world (which is not a bad endeavor in itself) that they neglected to point out how "poor" the memories and spirits of we Americans are, those of us who take for granted the Bibles in our bedrooms (and every other room in the house), but don't bother to carry the Word around in our hearts and minds.

A missed opportunity, in my humble opinion.