Answers

Q:

When my grandfather died, he willed the old family Bible to me (we have a large family, and none of us got much of value). I don't know what to do with it. It's too big for me to read (although I know he read it every day), and the language is very old-fashioned. Why keep it? I guess I'm not a very sentimental person.


A:

I hope you won’t thoughtlessly throw this Bible away or sell it to someone with no connection to your family. It may not mean anything to you right now, but once it’s gone, your descendants will have lost an important link to their heritage.

After all, you may not be a sentimental person about your family, but some of your children or grandchildren may be. Remember, too, that old family Bibles often contain information (usually in the front) about the family that you won’t want to lose. If you aren’t interested in keeping it, you might see if someone else in your extended family is.

It’s possible, I know, for us to make too much of our family heritage; some people do, often in a prideful way. But we also can learn from those who’ve gone before us — and I pray this will be the case with you. From what you say, your grandfather loved the Bible and read it every day — and he did so, I’m sure, because he knew it is God’s Word. Through it, we learn about God and the salvation He offers to us through Jesus Christ.

May you learn from his example, by committing yourself to Jesus Christ and building your life on His Word, the Bible. The Bible says, “One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4).