I am currently in the process of tidying up, and I'm torn between throwing and keeping this certificate...
...I decided to keep an electronic copy instead (I'm so bright!..haha) and keep a copy of the winning essay as well. I was first out of 3 contestants, and the oldest as well..haha. Our church organized the essay writing contest as part of the Bible Month Celebration last January and I participated because I was afraid nobody would join and I wanted to honor our church's efforts. I guess I missed writing as well so it was a good excuse to go back despite being busy in school.
Honestly, I did not think I would win, because although I would meet the criteria on organization, grammar, etc.; content-wise, I thought my essay was too personal, and intentionally so, because I wrote it just one random morning as part of my quiet time when my morning classes were canceled. Since my intention was to have an entry, I did not want to stress so much over the essay, as I have in past contests..hehe; else, I won't be able to come up with an entry at all. So I revised the guide question a bit and made it into Why is the Bible Relevant To Me? And winning was an unexpected sweet bonus because it came with a cash prize (yey!), although I felt bad a bit when I learned that I competed against high school students. I initially thought that it wasn't fair because I had the advantage, but that's my pride talking so sorry Lord and thank you na lang po!
Enough with the backstory, here's my essay - a reminder for me that I'm always a winner in the Lord when I write from my heart:)
WHY IS THE BIBLE RELEVANT TODAY?
Not all people have had the blessing of being exposed to the Bible at a young age, and as I reflect on it now, I cannot imagine how I would have turned out as a human being, a citizen, a daughter, sister, friend, student, and the many other things I am now to others, if I did not have the wonderful privilege of knowing and learning from the Bible.
As a child, I looked at it as a wealth of stories with lessons on strength, bravery, obedience, love, patience, kindness, generosity, trust and many others. My parents and my teachers on the other hand, made good use of my delight in those stories to instill those virtues in me and introduce me to the greatest hero, Jesus Christ. It was not until I approached my late school age and teenage years that I learned of the foreign comic book superheroes that we patronize in the movies today; but as for the stories of Noah’s ark, Queen Esther, Daniel in the lion’s den, Moses and the parting of the Red Sea, I knew them by heart; and at a time when I was still sheltered from real life’s challenges, they were among my first models of faith and trust in the Lord.
In my teenage years, when my doubts and insecurities were at their peak, the Bible became a source of wisdom and comfort. I remember the many nights that I felt down and alone as I experienced the world for the first time without the security of home. I would open my Bible crying not knowing what to do, and I would finish reading crying still, but this time, with a sense of strength and hope, overwhelmed with the truth that the Lord is always with me, that He loves me, and that I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Living alone in college was one of the most difficult times of my life, especially with the death of our mother, but it was also the time that I learned to really seek the Lord in prayer and meditation of His Word. As I sought Him, the Lord used that time in return to instruct me, mold me, and increase my knowledge of Him through our personal time together while studying his Word, as part of a church with teaching and sermons anchored on the Bible, and as part of a small group sharing our insights and encouraging one another through the truths we learn from the Bible.
After college, the responsibilities were greater, the problems were more challenging, and the decisions I had to make became more difficult. The Bible remained for me, as a source of strength, wisdom, comfort and guidance, but at a level that matched my needs. For while it does not change its contents, and although I have read it from cover to cover, it always speaks to me in a new way. Or in other times, it speaks to me in the same way, but in my frailty the Lord knew that I needed to be reminded, and there He was, patiently teaching me with the same chapters and verses, and honoring my heart’s prayer to become a better child and servant of His each day. In the same way that I loved the Lord more as I knew more of Him, I needed the Bible more as I learned more of it – not just holding on to His truths for the big decisions, challenges and milestones; but more so for the daily character-building and seemingly small moments of instruction, when He was actually preparing me to shape up when the big moments come along.
The Bible, God’s Word, is indeed relevant today as it was to me in the past and in the days to come. Its message transcends time, culture, language, changing needs and individual differences; just as God’s love is for all, breaking through all barriers, even our sin. I praise God for the freedom and privilege to experience the transforming power of His Word, and the opportunity to share it to others, that they may also know of Jesus Christ and His life-changing gift, just as it continually changes mine.
