STARKVILLE, Miss. — Starkville resident MaryEsther Murphy Elam has made the Bible come alive for thousands.
Elam explained in a Facebook post how she began to draw her thoughts in the margins of her journaling Bible in 2014 when her 3-year-old son Cole was in the hospital being treated for Stage 4 liver cancer.
Elam told WDAM she was introduced to Bible journaling through her Bible study group. It soon became her passion as she sought something to help her through her son’s illness.
“I began drawing my thoughts as I studied God’s word and begged him daily to heal my son,” she wrote. “During this period of time in my life, I needed God so desperately, and journaling provided a way for me to communicate with Him daily.”
Cole has been cancer-free for a year, WDAM reported. Elam said she still draws in her Bible a few nights a week, although she has less time now that she has returned to her job as a school nurse.
The album of her illustrations has been shared more than 40,000 times.
“Journaling is a way that I can encourage others to get to know Him,” she wrote. “It is my hope that my journaling may inspire you to open you Bible daily and talk to God and then continue to tell others about Him!”
