Life is confusing. We should come with owner's manuals – instruction booklets on how to use this life we've been given, how to fix it when things go wrong, how to keep things running smoothly. You know what else should come with owner's manuals? Cars! Oh wait, they do come with them. Why is it, then, that my last 3 cars didn't have one? Could it be because they were all "previously owned" vehicles? Did their "previous owners" actually use the manuals and misplace them during complicated maintenance procedures? Is that why they sold the car?
These questions may never be answered, but life goes on. Usually I don't even notice if my car has an owner's manual. That is, of course, until I'm stuck in downtown Providence and a mysterious light is flashing on the dashboard. When frantically scrambling through the glove compartment reveals only corroded batteries and stale, flattened granola bars (in case I get stranded in North Dakota), I realize I've never actually seen the owner's manual for this car.
Or you're driving to the airport (notice how I subtly changed from the first person "I", to the second person "you", now it's your fault) and you get a flat tire, and the AAA guy who eventually responds to your call wants to know where the jack is, and you realize you have no idea, and no owner's manual to consult. "Isn't it in the trunk?" You say cluelessly as he glares at you with that mixture of pity and disdain and says "I already looked in the trunk – you were standing right there – and why don't you change your own tire anyway?" Meanwhile cars are whizzing by inches from your nose and you imagine the person you were supposed to meet wandering the airport in despair. That's when you wish you had the owner's manual.
Well life, like my cars, doesn't come with an owner's manual. Or wait, yes it does. It's called the Bible, and we probably all have one around somewhere. The time to familiarize ourselves with its contents is now, before warning lights start to come on, and we don't know where to look. God has given us everything we need to live full, rewarding lives.
If you haven't gotten around to reading life's little instruction manual lately, give it a try. First, get an up-to-date translation. Yes, I love the King James Version; it's beautiful and poetic – and hard to understand. Try the New Revised Standard Version or Good News, or the Message by Peterson. Begin with something short and sweet, like the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament, or Ruth, or Jonah in the Old Testament. Join a Bible study Class or ask me for a reading program. Ask questions, be persistent. This book can change your life. After all, you don't want to end up stranded on life's highway without an owner's manual.
Have a fun a relaxing summer, and yes, you can have fun and read the Bible at the same time.
Jean Marsh