Excuses Come in All Kinds of Pretty Packaging

And my current excuse looks like this:

She's pretty, isn't she?  Allow me to introduce you.  Blog friends, this is Iris, an ESV Study Bible who makes her public debut on August 31, 2011.  Iris, these are my blog friends. 

Seriously, though.  I've been looking forward to this Bible coming out for months.  No, really, I have. 

In fact, I've been so waiting for this Bible to come out, that every time I have read my own I've thought to myself, "Man, I can't wait to read these same passages in my new ESV Study Bible with the pretty Iris pattern."  

Now, let me defend myself a little.  Overall - the design of a Bible is of least importance to me, and when I went searching for a new Bible (it would be fair to mention that I own, ahem, 8 different Bibles in a paraphrase and in 5 different translations... though none of them are ESV) I was looking for a Study Bible (which I don't own) in the ESV translation.  Now, let me tell you - all I found with these particular specifics were hardcover (yuck) or MacArthur versions.  And, I said before that looks aren't everything for a Bible, but let me tell you, when I saw how much these cost, I wanted something that I was completely happy with, and said Bible up top there is the one that seemed to 'have it all'.   Except, however, the ability to be sitting in my hand at the moment.

So - as I mentioned before, I've had these thoughts while doing my reading about how I'd love to be reading in my new ESV Bible.  Then - it has progressed to, "I'll really enjoy reading my Bible when I have the ESV study Bible."  And now, I'm finding myself relying on getting the Bible to make sure I'm in my Bible every day rather than sporadically.

How do we get here?

How do good things become such horrible excuses?

ESV, NLT, or NIV (though my least favorite aside from KJV), they are all God's word, inspired and relevant to our lives today.  The study notes, though helpful, are not God's direct instruction to us.  I've let a tool become an idol.

And though I'm really excited about the study Bible - my goal is to become more excited about God's word - even in the form I have now.  God has transformed a great deal of my life through the reading of His word, without a study Bible to help me through.  I can make it another month I think, God is faithful.

-A