Written by: Colleen Norman
Article source: JOY! Magazine
For a number of years, I have had an interest in genealogy and tracing our family tree. It is like a combination of a scavenger hunt and a jigsaw puzzle. You have to find all the pieces before you can try to put them together. I have learnt to think creatively and outside the box, trying to find information on the person I am researching. However, one evening an amazing thing happened…
Searching for a family Bible
A few months ago, my husband was delayed in getting home from work. While I waited for him, I scrolled through Facebook Marketplace looking for a piece of furniture that we were wanting to buy. The thought suddenly came into my mind to search for a family Bible. This was a strange thought, as we really had no need to buy another family Bible (my mom already has our family Bible that was inherited from her maternal grandparents). It is a very special possession in her home and is displayed in a prominent position.
Amazing turn of events
Nevertheless, I decided to have a quick search and typed in “family Bible”. Two options came up. The first looked very similar to my mom’s, but a little more modern, so I scrolled past that one quickly. The second family Bible cover was identical to my mom’s, so I took a slightly closer look (still thinking nothing of it, because this type of Bible was quite popular in the late 1800s – there are still a number of them around). As I was scrolling quickly through the photos, I realized that the type of printing and illustrations were also the same as mom’s Bible. I got to the very last photo, which was the page with the listed family “births” (which was quite common in old family Bibles). I briefly scanned through the names, probably due to my interest in genealogy. Interestingly, the surname “Theron” appeared amongst the names, which happened to be my mother’s maiden name. I still didn’t think much of it, as Theron is quite a common South African surname. I briefly glanced over more of the names; a number of the first names seemed familiar, but were common and popular names such as Margaret, Mary, and Charles. The absolutely amazing part was when I read the second last name in the list – Walter Richard Theron. This name rang a loud bell; could it be? I read it a number of times… really? Could this be? Was this perhaps my grandfather? As I read through the names again and again, I realised why they were so familiar, this was my mothers’ paternal family from 1886. What are the chances of that?!
An emotional experience
I knew I had to buy this Bible, and fortunately the person selling it only lived 40 minutes away from us. We made an appointment immediately and drove out to collect the Bible a few days later. Driving home with the Bible on my lap was an extremely emotional experience. I couldn’t stop staring at this big old heavy Bible, knowing that it had belonged to my great-grandparents. I wondered what this old Bible’s story was. My mother is 92 years old, and it was incredibly special for her to have the Bibles from both sets of grandparents in the same home, especially because they are identical Bibles.
Never just a coincidence
Since bringing home the Bible, I have often pondered on this story, and I am convinced that I did not find the Bible, it found its way to me – through the love of God for me. I believe that God, on that appointed day, planted the thought in my mind to search for a family Bible on Marketplace, at the exact time that the Bible was for sale. Also, without the photo of names in that advert, I would never have discovered that it had belonged to our family. The probabilities are just too small for this to have been a coincidence – God’s hand was at work here, down to the last detail. I believe that God wanted that Bible to be in our family where it belonged, and it has shown me that He knows my heart, and how precious this Bible would be to me and my family.
He cares about the details
It often feels like God is so big, mighty, and far away – concerned with much more important issues than the matters of our daily lives. This story has reminded me that yes, that is true, but also that God knows each of our hearts, and is aware of all the big and small things that are important to us in our daily lives. To me, this Bible serves as a reminder that God cared so much for me, that He put plans and events in place to get that Bible back to my family, almost 140 years since it had been given to my great-grandparents.
God knows us intimately
I believe that God is also aware of all the prayers and unanswered questions that I have in my heart. Believing this, and the evidence of God’s caring and love for me, helps me to hold onto the faith that He will answer all my prayers and questions at His appropriate time. I felt I needed to share this story to encourage other people to remember that God knows us all intimately, and that He is capable of far more than we can imagine. He is a faithful and loving father, and not a distant unrelatable God. Whatever you may be facing right now, be assured that God knows – and He cares.
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Date published: 19/02/2024
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