Every time I look at my Bible I’m reminded of two things: prison and peace. How is that possible? First, it wasn’t that prison was my peace, but I was imprisoned by peace while in prison. And the peace of God that guarded me was greater than any guard or wall that confined me.
And second, one day I was out of my area and a guy in my housing unit decided to surprise me with a gift. This gentleman had noticed how worn and torn my Bible cover was and found it fitting to make a new unique cover for it. The material? He used the plastic that covered the foam on our 2-inch mattresses. It’s obviously durable enough considering the longevity such “furniture” must have in prison.
So, now you see why I’m reminded of prison every time I look at my Bible! It’s actually a piece of prison that I took home with me! But what about the other peace that I was talking about? Well, when I open up the “mattress” of Gods Word, I find my soul is able to rest, like my head on top of a pillow. I say that figuratively. But also literally, because sometimes I lay my head down on this Bible just to feel the plastic cover on my cheek as a way of reminding myself what I had to sleep on--for close to 5 years. Talk about perspective!
The truth is it doesn’t matter that I now get to sleep in a king-size bed, if I fail to have the King’s peace. The question: Am I really better off because my pristine new environment is the polar opposite of the sleepless nights, slamming gates, and incessant fighting between inmates? The answer: No I’m not better off. All of the luxuries and comforts of the world mean absolutely nothing if you don’t know the peace of God.
So as I look at my Bible covered in the plastic of a prison mattress, I realize that the Word of God can turn the hardest pillar into the softest pillow. And best of all, Jesus gives His peace to us freely, but we must give Him our anxiety. You cannot keep both at the same time. Crazy how all of life’s problems could be dissolved if we were to just spend more time being overwhelmed by God’s peace rather than being overwhelmed by this world's pace.
