For Monday’s Many Thanksgivings I want to focus on something that at a glance may seem simplistic, something that in our culture I think we take for granted. I want to discuss my gratitude for the ability to have a Bible readily accessible.

The other day I read an article about a petition to cancel the TLC  show 19 Kids and Counting over voicing their religious beliefs. It infuriated me! In our country it seems more and more that everyone has the right to have their own opinion unless you are a conservative Christian. I opened my Bible, looking for the comfort of reading what God has to say about the convictions that the family holds and had my longing for truth immediately satisfied.

My Bible and I have quite a relationship. It is there when I am looking for an intellectual study, there when I want to reaffirm my beliefs, and there when I simply want to be lulled by the cadence of familiar scriptures. Sometimes I can physically feel tension leaving my body by simply opening it up. It has been my go-to when I needed encouragement throughout this journey.

There are times when I think to myself about what it would be like if I lived in a culture today where books are not available or a thousand years ago when books were rarely something people had in their homes. It is hard for me to imagine not being able to pick up my Bible, not having the comfort of the scriptures at my fingertips.

In our culture, Bibles are everywhere, easily obtainable. With the advent of tablets, one can download the Bible and have it everywhere they go. I think because of that, we overlook how lucky we are to that blessing. Generations of families did not, and some still do not, have that fortune. We have direct access to study and re-connect with God in a way that in the history of humanity is relatively new.

The next time you reach for your Bible stop and thank God for that ability because we are truly blessed to have it ever ready for our use!