Our children were given Bibles while they were still babes.
They each received one for their first birthday or their first Christmas.
Those first Bibles were small pocket sized leather editions ~
they included both the Old and the New Testaments.
they included both the Old and the New Testaments.
We had each child's name engraved on the front cover
of his or her own copy of God's Word.
All but Fraser's are tucked away ~ they are precious.
(Unfortunately, his little Bible was left behind at a church we visited long ago).
of his or her own copy of God's Word.
All but Fraser's are tucked away ~ they are precious.
(Unfortunately, his little Bible was left behind at a church we visited long ago).
The second Bible that each child was given was a little larger,
and was meant to see them through their upper childhood years.
Our plan has always been to give each of our children another
Bible as they graduate from High School.
But, as we know, sometimes plans get changed.
But, as we know, sometimes plans get changed.
Austin became gravely ill in 2012 ~ just prior to turning seventeen.
He was about a year away from his high school graduation.
And, suddenly, it was decided that the graduation Bible
ought to be given for his birthday ~ the one he almost didn't have.
I felt an urgency in that moment and at that time ~
we wanted him to have his *grown up* Bible early.
So, the Bible was given.
I am so incredibly thankful that it was.
I am so incredibly thankful that it was.
We fully expected Austin to grow up completely.
To live beyond us to a ripe old age. To marry and to have children.
We really didn't believe that his time on this earth was short.
But, it was. And, the Lord knew. And, His ways are always best.
In the nearly fourteen months that this Bible was in his possession,
our Austin made notes and marked and underlined.
And, it is precious ~ a sweet gift from the Lord to us.
It's a treasure. A window into his soul. A piece of our boy.
Truly, in all of life, nothing matters more than that
our children follow and serve our Saviour and live for His glory alone.
That they will go to be with Him for all eternity when they die.
Nothing else matters at all.
our children follow and serve our Saviour and live for His glory alone.
That they will go to be with Him for all eternity when they die.
Nothing else matters at all.
In eternity, we will understand all that we need to.
All that the Lord wants us to. All that is necessary.
Until then, we will seek to trust and rest and follow and praise.
To bring glory to His Great Name. Alone.
Many Blessings,
Camille
16 comments:
How special to have his Bible. I am always blessed when I visit here. I have recently begun reading here and what an encouragement you are to others even with such a great loss as this. Thank you for sharing what is on your heart.
I can't help but agree with all of what Nikki said. It is true what you said about how nothing else matters than that our children follow and serve our Savior and live for His glory alone… to be with Him for all eternity. It is what I too care about above all. Thank you for sharing your very special hearts.
Thanks for sharing sweet tidbits of Austin's Bible readings. I'm so glad he knew the Lord. Today I remembered my parents on Facebook, since it would have been there anniversary. Mom has lived 30 years without hhim. The legacy they ledt by taking us to church, reading the Bible, sending us to church camp are good memories. I've grown in my faith all these years. Now I'm sharing some with my grandchildren. One of the main reasons mwe homeschooled so we could instill biblical teaching to our children. Hugs, my friend.
Amen!
You are a sweet blessing Camille!
Hugs
What a treasure. I pray that all my marked up Bibles, Bible studies, and journals will be the treasures I can give my loved ones when I am gone. I want them to know the prayers I prayed for them, the love that I had for them, but more importantly how I leaned on Jesus and how faithful He is to me. So thankful you will always have his verses underlined...
Camille, your post is so precious. The Word never returns void.......ever! You are a precious Momma.....thankful this life is not the end of our story for those in CHRIST! Love you sweet friend, Linda
what a treasure your Austin left behind for you!
Tears of Joy and longing revisit you every time you hold his Bible in your hands. There is something very special about a persons Bible. It tells a story my dad says. Being a preacher, he gave many a funeral...and the first thing he asked for was the person's Bible. He said it told more about the person's heart then anything loved ones could have shared with him.
A precious treasure indeed!
What a precious gift. Your writing is beautiful, and so is your heart. I am so glad to have found your blog.
So very touching, Camille.
My husband is an Austin too :-)
Thanks for dropping by me. It is
such a pleasure meeting you :-)
Blessings :-)
What a special treasure Austin's Bible will be in the years to come! My mother told me (she and dad were moving to a retirement home) that she decided to throw out all her Bible study notes she had collected over the years. They were hand-written in binders, and she didn't want to keep packing them around. I'm sure my howls of anguish over the phone lines permanently damaged her hearing! At the time I told her I would have gladly taken them off her hands, but she had already tossed them. Now my mother is suffering from Alzheimer's and I'd give anything to peruse all her notes. I'm glad that you have something concrete to put your hands on and wrap your heart around. :)
Oh Camille: What a precious post you write. God is So good.
Thank you for sharing.
Hugs,
Connie
Oh Camille,
My prayer is that the Lord would continue yo heal your heart with His precious Word! What a treasure you have in Austin's Bible!
Love you my friend!
Welcome here Nikki ~ Thank you for your sweet words of encouragement! I am glad you let me know you have been visiting...now, I can get to know you a little. May the Lord bless you and your family. :)
Dear Pam ~ Thank you for your kind words...I appreciate them very much! May the Lord bless you and your family as well. He is Good. Always. :)
Dear Becky ~ What a blessing to know that your children love the Lord. How precious that you had those years of home education with them! God is truly Good to us, isn't He? :)
Dear Linda (in England) ~ You are a sweet blessing, too! Hugs to you. :)
Dear Stacie ~ I am sure your children will treasure all that you have written. Yes, our Lord is so very, very faithful! How precious He is! :)
Dear Linda (Stubbs) ~ Oh, so true...this is not the end at all! How precious that thought is!! Hugs to you. :)
Dear Patrina ~ What a lovely story about your Dad and his asking to see the Bibles of those he was conducting funerals for. It's so true that they are windows into the souls of those who marked the pages. Precious! :)
Welcome here Oregon Mama ~ So lovely to *meet* you. Thank you for your sweet and encouraging words. May the Lord bless you and your family richly. :)
Welcome here Kath ~ It's lovely to *meet* you...thank you for stopping by and for letting me know you were here. May the Lord bless you and your Austin! :)
Dear Lois ~ How lovely it is to hear from you. Oh, how incredibly tragic that all your Mom's notes were destroyed. How precious to know that she knows and loves the Lord, though...so very precious! May the Lord give many happy memories to cherish and many happy moments together with your Mom in these days as you minister to her in her illness. Hugs to you. :)
Dear Connie ~ Yes, my friend. He is Good!! Hugs to you! :)
Dear Heather ~ He is doing just that my friend...thank you! Moment by moment...day by day...He is here in this journey. Hugs to you across the miles. :)
With Love,
Camille
Oh sweet friend. How precious! Makes me get teary reading about this. Thank you for sharing. Much love.
What a treasure. Oh what a beautiful thing to have a glimpse such as this. I love how God works in giving promptings such as he did when you decided to give this to him for his birthday. That a gift to him then and you all now.
Dear Jennifer ~ God is so good to us, isn't He? Hugs to you! :)
Dear Heather ~ Truly...a gift! God has blessed us over and over again. Hugs to you! :)
Blessings,
Camille
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