On July 9th, 1993, my husband and I attended our wedding rehearsal.
Afterward we enjoyed a dinner for the wedding party, family, and out of town guests. Then His Highness and I exchanged wedding gifts. He gave me this beautiful necklace….
And I gave him this Bible….
I remember shopping for it carefully. Talking through all the choices in depth. Considering my options. Spending what was for me at that time — a twenty-one year old who’d just graduated from college — a large sum on this NIV study Bible.
Inside, I signed it…
The next day, the wedding went smoothly, except for the fact that between the prep, photos, ceremony, and reception, the groom never ate dinner.
Years passed and the Bible I’d given him became our Bible. My Bible. The family Bible. It was the one that went with us to the Caribbean for three years. And then halfway around the world to Australia for a year. It’s the one I used for every quiet time, every Bible study. It’s the one that came with us to the church services when each of our three kids were dedicated.
Over time, it turned into the Velveteen Rabbit of Bibles.
Like my husband, and me, and our marriage, the Bible aged and became kid-worn. But it was also very well-loved.
And then, late last summer, I lost it. My wedding Bible. Our family’s Velveteen Rabbit Bible.
I was fairly sure I’d left it at church, so I called to see if anyone had located it. The next Sunday, I checked every lost-and-found spot. Nope. I worried that maybe I’d left it at the restaurant we ate at after church. I asked about it there. They didn’t have it.
And so, as the months passed, I tried to resign myself to the idea that it was gone for good. But the idea of that was just… so very sad. Unacceptable.
And then about six months after I lost the Bible, this past March 28th, I received an email from Cary Pierce. He’s a celebrity! He often sings on our church’s worship team, but he’s also one half of the band Jackopierce.
I’ve sat in the service when he’s led worship many, many times but I don’t know him personally. So I was astonished when I read his email, which basically said, “I found your husband’s Bible at church. Where can I drop it off for you?”
WHAT?!
I’d inscribed my husband’s full name on the inside the Bible back on July 9th, 1993. Cary had obviously used that name to find a contact email for us in the church’s directory.
By March 28th, we were a few weeks into the Covid crisis and I told Cary, “With everything going on in the world right now, God must have known that I needed a reminder of the fact that nothing — even lost Bibles — escapes His notice.”
Later that day, our wedding Bible was back in my hands. It was such a tangible and powerful reminder that God sees me. God cares. About the big and the small. He is able to return lost Bibles. He is able to shepherd us through the valley of a worldwide pandemic.
The following verses came to mind….
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:26-34
How has the Lord reminded you lately that He sees you and that He cares? Do you own a Bible that holds a special place in your heart?
My publisher and I are currently offering a giveaway in celebration of Stay with Me! Every prize was inspired by an aspect of the novel. Except the cash card. That’s just because cash is handy. To enter, click here or on the image below.
Becky Wade
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What a wonderful story. So glad y’all got your Bible back. For my 25th anniversary of working for my boss, he and his wife presented me with a Bible. I will always cherish it.❤️
What a sweet gift to receive to mark a 25th anniversary!
How lovely to have your Bible back. I know how that feels…a few years ago we were at a motel in Omaha, NE, and our vehicle was broken into. Our suitcases were stolen and my husband lost his Bible – the one I had given him when he retired. He still misses it. But God knows and provides! PTL!!
I’m so sorry, Kathy! When you said your husband still misses his Bible, I could relate. Yes! That’s how I felt. I missed our Bible.
I love those moments when God shows us He sees! Thank you for sharing!
It was such a wonderful reminder! And it came at such a perfect time. 🙂
What a blessing to have your Bible returned to you! The timing of the return was an encouragement as well.
It truly was! In the middle of so much bad news, here was this lovely, unexpected bright spot.
Such an encouragement!Thank you for sharing! You happened to get married the exact same day my parents did!
Aww! I know one other couple who lives here in my neighborhood who married that day. 🙂
Loved your Bible story. I’ve had mine for several years and would be devastated if I lost it. One way the Lord has reminded me lately that He sees and He cares about me is allowing me to unexpectedly win a couple of free books. This is especially meaningful to me since I’m a voracious reader and having the libraries closed right now as well as delayed shipments for book orders is brutal for me.
“One way the Lord has reminded me lately that He sees and He cares about me is allowing me to unexpectedly win a couple of free books.” Yes! I love that.
This is such a great story! I’m reading Matthew now – just finished Chapter 12, so recently finished the verse you quoted, always one of my favorite, but so hard to do.
Loved the pictures of your wedding! Stay safe.
I love those verses, too, Betty. We can get so caught up in our worries! They’re a great reminder of what is true. Of the Lord’s care and provision.
What a beautiful story, Becky! And how precious that your family Bible was found and returned. Such a treasure. That happened to me several years ago with the diamond in my wedding ring. One day I noticed it was gone, and I had no idea when or where I had lost it. I looked everywhere. After a week, I was sure it was gone forever. Then one morning as I was getting ready for work, I pulled a tissue out of the bathroom tissue box and heard the tinkling sound of something bouncing on the counter. My diamond! What a blessing to find what once was lost. Makes me think of the woman who lost her coin in the parable then celebrated with all her neighbors once it was found. Losing precious things is painful, but it goes a long way to remind us of their value – and sometimes, that’s the best find of all.
YES!!!! There’s something especially sweet about recovering what was lost. One of us needs to write a book built on this theme, Karen. 😉
Loved reading your story! What precious memories! And a great reminder to us about how the Father cares for every little detail in our lives. We celebrate our 35th anniversary in June. I don’t have a missing Bible story, but I do have a missing diamond story! I’m the sort who will not “trade-up” my diamonds for bigger stones. I love the ones given by my honey, no matter the size. I’m sure I’ve frustrated many a salespersons by refusing. LOL. Anyway, we were at church, doing some type of activity. I remember being in the kitchen, and my ring snagging on a dish towel. But then I continued on, traveling down a hall and so forth. For some reason, I glanced at my engagement ring and the diamond was missing! I panicked but quickly started retracing my steps, sure that my diamond was gone for good. It was after all, not that huge. But just in the corner of the doorway near the kitchen, I saw the light glitter off of a bit of something. My diamond! I was so happy and thankful! Sure, I could have had it replaced, but it wouldn’t have been the one my husband had given me when we were engaged. Thankful for a God who cares about the little details! Congratulations on the new book!
I love that story, Angie! And I agree with you. There’s something very, very meaningful about the ring or the Bible given all those years ago that a newer model can’t replace. Your diamond and my Bible had come a long way with us. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful personal story! What a loss that would have been, and I’m happy for you that it is once again at home with you all. My husband and I both gave each other Bibles – I received mine the Christmas before we wed, and I gave him one just like the one you have on one of his Feb 29th birthdays early in our marriage. When I look at the two of them, it’s obvious which one of us spends more time in God’s word – from the look of your Bible compared to my husbands’, and I’d say yours is in excellent shape!
I love hearing about other couples who gave each other Bibles as gifts early in their relationships. It’s a wonderful present because, as the years pass, you appreciate it more and more.
I have a Bible story as well. I received a Bible decades ago that I used constantly. Eventually the cover shredded then completely fell off. But I couldn’t find anyone to replace the cover! I have other Bibles, but this one had all my notes in it, everything was highlighted and underlined, and it had been my devotional Bible for decades. It held memories, promises, and my heart in it.
Finally I found someone willing to re-cover it. When I drove to the address, it was far away in a very run-down neighborhood. But I prayed for protection and knocked at the door, clutching my precious Bible. I met an old hispanic man who had an extremely creepy-looking “assistant” and some book-binding machines in a garage. When the old man saw my Bible, he frowned and said, “How did this happen?” I said, “I used it every day!” He looked utterly baffled that someone would read a Bible until it wore out.
When I FINALLY got it back, it had a nice new cover with my name engraved on it like the other cover, but it’s bound too tightly and won’t lay open right. Also it looks like it accidentally got close to some kind of shearing object–a chunk of the pages have a long gash in the edges. But the man saw all my notes in back and proudly announced that he added extra pages at the end for me to write on. That was great! I filled them up very quickly. And I have my beloved Bible back.
It’s still the Bible I use most and love to read. I take another Bible to church or Bible Studies because I don’t want anything to happen to my favorite Bible. It’s my most precious, irreplaceable possession!
Lora!! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this wonderful story with me. I smiled all the way through at your descriptions of your Bible, the book binding gentleman, and how your Bible came back without the ability to fall open smoothly. 🙂
From now on, I think I’m going to follow your lead and keep my wedding Bible at home! I’ll take other Bibles with me to church, Bible study, etc.
God is with me always and in all ways! A few years back, my husband misplaced his wedding band. I was devastated at its absence, and he was too. We looked for it on & off for a long time, but he had no idea where it might have been lost. After he had been without it for a year, we started talking about replacing it with something simple…about the time we were packing up to surrender our house to foreclosure. As I was packing the top of my dresser, I noticed a ceramic teacup that had once held a candle that his sister had given to me…and inside the cup was his wedding ring. Why or how it had gotten there, no one knows, but now it finally has its place of honor on back on my husband’s hand, 15 years after I first put it there. God knew we were struggling and fearful with the end of one dream, and needed to know he was not abandoning us.
“God knew we were struggling and fearful with the end of one dream, and needed to know he was not abandoning us.” Oh, wow, Teri! I really love this story. God is with me always in all ways!
I love how God works. His timing is always perfect! I’m so glad to hear your Bible was returned to you.
I have multiple Bibles…many of them with special memories attached. One that I feel especially blessed to have is my mom’s Grandmother’s Bible. My mom poured every ounce of her into loving her grandkids and making sure they knew Jesus and how much He loved them. When the Grandmother’s Bible came out, I bought it for her as a gift. Now that she resides in Heaven, the gift is mine. Especially because within the pages are highlighted sections that touched her heart and some of her handwritten prayers.
I can understand why that Bible means so much to you, Ronya! Those highlighted sections and handwritten prayers are priceless.
What an amazing story!
Loved your story and so glad you got your Bible back! My dad put his on top of our car when he was putting my sister in her car seat after we had been visiting relatives. It evidently stayed on the car for several miles and fell off as we went around a curve outside of town. Someone came along later and picked it up. They called my uncle thinking he might be a relative since they recognized the last name (yay for small towns!) and my dad got his Bible back. It needed re-bound, but I believe it still has all its pages, a couple complete with tire tracks.
What a fabulous story!!