Blessed Literacy

“Happy is the one who reads this book…”
~Revelation 1:3a~

I was struck by this verse last Friday at the small graduation ceremony for those teachers undergoing training in the Latuko language. These teachers had just completed their course so that they could go back to their home churches and teach others how to read and write in their mother tongue. I was so encouraged by these teachers. Each one was very eager to get back to their homes to begin teaching. The hope is that eventually the Latuko people will be able to read the Bible in their own language. What a wonderful gift! The Latuko Bible does exist, but very few know how to read it. With this course the Latuko people will get the chance to read daily the Word of God.

Baby Linda and Linda Byler

As I thought about this verse, Revelation 1:3a, I realize that I’ve never heard this verse before. Well, I’ve never heard this translation (Good News Bible). I would like to break this verse down a bit. The NIV Bible uses the word “blessed” which means much more than “happy”. This word describes the favorable circumstances God has put a person in. The NIV Bible uses the word “prophecy” instead of “book”. Now some would argue that this verse is only implied for the book of Revelation since it is based off the prophecy given by John. But for the sake of this simple verse, the word “prophecy” and “book” means “any word from God – whether command, instruction, history, or prediction” (NIV Commentary). I’m going to go back to using the word “happy”. When I heard this verse, I thought to myself, “am I happy when I read the Bible?” Honestly, I would have to say no, not all the time. When I was honest with myself in answering this question it saddened me. I have to ability to read and write, in English none-the-less! (I’m learning very quickly that English really is a hard language to learn. If you don’t believe me, try teaching 50 Sudanese children different techniques of English!) And yet, there are days when I feel like it’s more of a chore to pick up the Bible and read. I have witnessed the different people groups here in Sudan get excited when they see any book in their own language and even more so when it’s a Bible. I wish I could be excited every day when I go to pick up my Bible! I know that whatever I read, whether it is a Psalm or a passage out of Leviticus, the Lord will bless my life through that reading in some way. I may not know how and it may not happen that particular day but I believe I will be blessed by that passage. I was vulnerable with you, now I would ask you to be vulnerable with yourselves. Ask yourself the same thing I asked myself: “Am I happy when I read the Bible?” Then take the extra step and try and figure out why. You may have to dig a little to find the answer but it is there.

Linda, Teresa, and Beatrice

This weekend we celebrate the hope of our salvation. Friday we will witness our Savior sacrificing His life for each one of us. Sunday we will see our salvation secured. I encourage you to open up to the Gospels and read about what your Savior did for you. My prayer for you this Easter is that you may find joy in reading the Word of the Lord.

Baby Linda

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade…”
~1 Peter 1:3,4a~

Teresa