Losing My Testimony While Buying A Testament

I chose yesterday to be the day that I bought a new Bible.  Why I thought that would be a good idea at that particular date remains a mystery to me.  

When I was 15, my parents bought me a NIV Teen study Bible, and it has been my "main" Bible ever since.  I was given a small Bible when I graduated from college as I walked across the platform...but it isn't the same.  I do often take it to church and #1 calls it my "diaper bag Bible", mainly out of convenience.  But my "main" Bible has so many markings and side notes and underlined verses and comments that I really like to use it more.  

My women's Bible study at church is doing Beth Moore's Breaking Free.  It is killing me (which of course it isn't, but that is an inside joke if you've ever done the study).  This past week one issue we were dealing with pride.  Kings in Israel's history that made poor decisions because of  pride.  We as women are often in  bondage due to pride.  I know I am!  

Anyway, one of the things she wrote about was having to break in a new Bible.  That particular thing wasn't a pride issue for her or anything (it was just part of a story she was telling), but it started eating at me, because for me it is.  I kind of like having my "main" Bible with all its markings and notes and such.  It lookes, well, used.  And I certainly don't use it enough by any means.  But when I have my "main" Bible by my side, no one else would guess I don't read it everyday or as often as I should.  

So the Lord used that to speak to me.  And Little Monkey Man standing on my "main" Bible and ripping out a few more pages didn't hurt either.  So I swallowed my pride and decided it really was high time to be purchasing a new Bible.  Even if it does look crisp and new and people might think I don't read it.  Which I honestly don't often enough.

By the time all of the Draycare kids left, I had two hours until church started. I also had to go to the post office to mail a piece of a toy that had been recalled (which supposedly they will be replacing for free...good for us as it broke ages ago and I had just not thrown it away yet) and to Aldi to buy more jell-o for Snug's Valentine's Party today.  I seriously thought I had time to run three errands before church.  

The post office went as planned, complete with long lines, Little Monkey Man knocking down things off the wall as he jumped around, Rosebud screaming because she was in her carrier (Is it spring yet?  I need to use my slings.) and Snug informing everyone who would listen about how the post office had re-arranged its boxes/gift wrapping stations since he had been there at Christmas.  

And then we set off for the Christian Bookstore.  To buy a Bible.  Easy, right?  Of COURSE it was. 

We walked in, everyone kept their hands to themselves, I found the perfect Bible as soon as I walked in the door, it was on sale for practically free, and we checked out and headed out the door within 10 minutes of arrival.  Or not.  

We walked in and Rosebud had finally called it quits with the lung exercises.  However, Snug started complaining as soon as we walked through the door that "this is the worst store ever".  (In his defense at our old church I bought all the Bibles for new babies who were born and had their names put on them...so we used to frequent this particular store at least three times a month.)  After telling him to zip it because that was totally not polite we continued back to the Bible section.  Which is next to the Jesus junk section.

The WHAT?  Did I say Jesus junk?  I mean small plastic toys that say "Jesus" and break as soon as you even look at them and entice small children to touch touch touch touch.  Sorry MckMama, but your "use one finger and you can touch whatever" trick has not caught on well with my kiddos. I gave it a good effort. I so wish it had worked for us.  But it hasn't.  So we have a "put your hands in your pockets and don't touch a single darn thing and NO YOU CAN"T USE YOUR ELBOWS TO KNOCK YOUR BROTHER OVER" approach.  

So while my boys are itching to play with small plastic yo-yos and bouncy balls and who knows what else, I am trying to quickly choose a Bible that will hopefully last me another fifteen years.  Seriously?  I took my three kids to do that?  Unfortunately, yes.  

And then LMM had to potty.  Loudly.  No, he didn't potty loudly, he announced it.  As he does most everything.  Loudly.  We found that the bathroom was in use, so we stood oh so quietly outside the door to wait our turn(s).  And we waited.  And waited.  And waited.  And somewhere in all that waiting, Rosebud woke up and discovered that she was indeed still in her favorite car seat.  Begin lung exercise.  Eventually a store employee emerged from the restroom and we were able to use the facilities.  

Back to the Bibles.  I played with the idea of letting Rosebud out of her car seat to roam around, but decided to put up with the crying over re-shelving half the store and adding yet another bruise to her poor little forehead.  I sat both boys down where they could do the least amount of damage and began my search in frantic.  The Bible I wanted was on the very top shelf where I barely could reach it and once I got it down, decided it was way out of my price range.  It was a really nice study Bible with references and such.  

Then as LMM started kicking the side of a metal display (insert gong sound effects) and Snug started singing one of his his famous made up dirges (think songs about the Lord and Diego and his pretend mice that last at least 4 minutes and contain a maximum of 4 notes) I spotted the perfect Bible for me.  

Photo Credit

I quickly compared it to the reference Bible that I was coveting (can you covet a Bible?) and discovered it was a much better price. It didn't have nearly the extras, but it does have more "useful extra stuff" than my "main" Bible has.  So we headed to the check-out. 

Then end.

Just kidding.  

While standing in line two things happened.  Do you want to know the good news or bad news first?  We'll go with the bad and get it over with. 

 LMM knocked over an ENTIRE Valentine's Day display.  ENTIRE.  I was mortified.  Really, how does one clean that up with three children in tow?  The clerk just stared at me.  And then the woman in line behind me said "Ma'am.  Don't worry about it.  I will clean it up for you." and she was very sincere and kind and non-judgmental about it.  And that is the good news.  And the other good news (slipped in two here) is that I also had a buy one get one half off anything in the store coupon.  So LMM got his OWN Bible that I had been thinking about getting for awhile.  (Daddy and Mommy sat him down and gave it to him by himself today.  He was thrilled.)  

I totally could have lost it with my kids in the Bible bookstore.  Isn't that awful?  I bit my tongue so many times and kept taking deep breaths.  Because, really, I should have never ever attempted that.  And because while their behavior was nothing short of awful, they are 4, 2 and nearly 10 months.  But I am truly glad God gave me the strength to NOT lose my testimony while buying a (new and old) testament.  Because when I lose my temper or get angry with them it isn't a great testimony to them or anyone else around.  And I need to remember that more often.  

Anyone want to go shopping with us Saturday?  No?  I thought not.