Third Thursday's Thought

Well, I’m back in Hong Kong, and my time in China has given me a lot to think about. I plan to write more about my trip (and include a few pictures) when I have more time, but for this Thursday’s thought, I have decided to share one of my most impactful thoughts from my trip to China.

On Monday, the day we (my friend Alfred and I) arrived in China, we dropped our luggage off in our room, grabbed lunch, then came back to our room and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. I love to read, so relaxation time for me meant reading time. Although China limits the number of books they allow you to bring into China with you, they do allow you to bring books into China as long as they are for personal use and not for distribution. Because of that, I was able to bring my Bible and my Kindle into China without a problem. At one point during my reading Monday afternoon, I began to read the Bible. About a sentence into my reading, I was struck with the realization that there have been numerous people in China who have been sent to jail—even within my lifetime—for doing the exact thing that I was doing at that moment. I then realized that in all my life, I have never had to worry about reading my Bible. I can bring it with me wherever I want, and I don’t have to fear being arrested for being in possession of it. Really, the biggest “threat” I’ve ever faced from reading my Bible is that someone would see me reading it and think I was weird or a loser for reading it. I also realized that because of this, I have, throughout my life, taken my ability to read the Bible (on every level: from having the ability to read, to having proper translations of the Bible in my language, to having the freedom where I lived to be able to read the Bible with no fear of arrest, etc.) largely for granted. I was humbled by the fact that I possess multiple copies and translations of God’s revelation of Himself to mankind, and rather than treasuring that reality, I treat it as petty and insignificant; I take it for granted. This realization challenged me to view my Bible differently and gave me a whole new perspective on how great the freedoms are that God has given us. I hope it challenges and encourages you as well.