Long before the Corona Virus hit our nation, before schools and businesses were forced to find alternative ways of doing business, we were slowly saying goodbye to traditional hardback paper text books in our schools. We are now a society that relies more on technology such as; Smart Boards, iPads, Chrome Books, and Google Classrooms to assist in teaching our children. Back in my day, I can’t say that we loved our text books, but this was all that we knew at the time.

They were heavy and bulky and if you could not leave them in a classroom, it was a burden to lug them around everywhere while making frequent trips to your locker. Sometimes, we even had two for each subject that we were registered for. I am not one to complain about change and progress but I must admit that there is one thing that still brings me joy when I reflect on those days.

In the olden days some people associated the new school year with new school clothes and shiny clean shoes. There was always the excitement of moving up a grade. There was a pride factor of growing older and wiser among your peers. With that, sometimes there would be the excitement of even moving to a new school the older you got. I thought I was full grown when I moved from East Natchitoches Elementary to Natchitoches Junior High. Sometimes I associated the new school year with the smell of a classroom when there was a fresh new coat of paint. The smell would linger for weeks.

But, the one memory that totally gave me life during my school years was opening a textbook to see the names of all of the students who held the book prior to me. I always wanted a book that a popular kid or my older sister had. Or, I would merely settle for it being any name I recognized. This produced so many “show and tell moments” among my friends.

There were also many occasions where the previous student even wrote the answers to questions in the blank spaces or underlined important facts that may show up on a test. That was almost like winning the lottery. Sometimes, there was even profanity that littered the pages of the books. You never knew what you may find…. but I was most interested in the names.

The Bible tells us that there is also a book in which many names are written on the pages. The Book of Life and the contents of the pages are so important to our Lord and our salvation. He cherishes those names and it is not because they are the most popular kids or even the smartest kids. The names written are the ones who have shown faith and accepted salvation. The names written also believe that Christ died for our sins and rose again.

Unlike the traditional outdated school text books with many names that have faded over time, this book is written with a permanent record for eternity. This book will never be outdated and replaced by a newer version or a new technology. It is never too late to have your name added because you do not have to wait until the book is issued to you. Salvation is free for all of those who believe.

“Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.”
Malachi 3:16

“And if anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15

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