by Cheryl Calderaro

Created on: June 11, 2008

Verses in the Bible are like songs waiting to be downloaded to my soul iPod. I can then pull up my favorites whenever I want.

My most frequently accessed are words of comfort for facing the common struggles of this world. I claim John 14:27 when I find myself needing to take a deep breath and calm down. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

I pull up Ps. 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God," when I need to be still; to just stop and remember God is in control. I also think of this verse when I find myself in a very quiet, peaceful place such as sitting beside a stream, or resting my back against a giant redwood.

1 John 3:1 makes me feel confident and cared for because God is my father. "How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

When I first came across Jeremiah 3:19 I read it and then reread it several times because I found it promising and yet sad. "How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation. I thought you would call me Father' and not turn away from following me."

It is promising because God gladly treats us as sons and daughters and yet sad because of his lament: "I thought you would call me Father." How often I act as if I'm fatherless when I have an all-powerful and all-loving Father.

Some of my favorite verses must be among the "Christian Top 40." These include: John 3:16, Psalm 23, John 14:1-3 and Genesis 1:1. But a few of my favorites may be a bit more obscure. They are my favorites because of the experiences I've had with them.

I discovered Isaiah 62:4 "but you will be called Hephzibah" (my delight is in her,) the day I ventured outside after suffering in bed with the flu for several days. I took a blanket and my Bible, drove to some nearby grassy hills and basked in the warm sunshine on the backside of a knoll.

When I read this verse I heard it as God saying, "Cheryl, my delight is in you." Those words were more powerful than a supercharged immunity boost.

I was teaching 8th grade and the staff had all been reminded that morning to "Start enforcing the dress code. No more short shorts!" So, I measured one of my girl's shorts, the whole class muntinied, she called her mom, her mom shouted at me. As soon as my last class was over, I hurried to the principal's office and through tears told him

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>