What a 50-Year-Old Measuring Cup Taught Me About Scripture
A simple kitchen tool reminded me of an important truth: a Bible sitting on the shelf won’t change our lives. God’s Word only transforms us when we open it and use it.
A measuring cup that has been faithfully used for over fifty years - and recently helped remind me to spend more time in God’s word.
An Old Cup Full of Memories
It’s old. In my kitchen cupboard sits a Tupperware 8-cup measuring cup from the 1970s. It’s nothing fancy, but you have to respect something that’s been faithfully doing its job for half a century. Thanks to its tight-fitting lid, you can mix something in it and move the whole container straight to the fridge.
Dad loved this cup. He enjoyed cooking—though not cleaning up afterward, poor Mom—and he used it for all kinds of batters: pancakes, cornbread, biscuits, and dumplings.
It shows up in many of my memories of him in the kitchen. When I picture him cooking, I can still see that measuring cup sitting on the counter beside him.
After Dad passed away, Mom gave it to me when she downsized her kitchen. It’s a link to my past and a reminder of him, but it’s not something I’d put on a shelf and admire. The memories only come when I actually use it. Right now it’s serving an important purpose: mixing and storing homemade formula for a rejected baby goat. Since he needs feeding every three hours, that old measuring cup isn’t spending any time in the cupboard these days.
It might sound a little silly, but as I stood in the kitchen pouring formula from the cup to the bottle, I realized something: it only connects me to my Dad when it’s out of the cupboard and being used.
Sitting on a shelf, it’s just another piece of plastic.
And suddenly I realized something uncomfortable. The same can be true of my Bible.
An unopened Bible sitting on a shelf doesn’t draw us any closer to God any more than that measuring cup reminds me of Dad when it’s buried in the cupboard.
With so many Bibles available today, the real question isn’t whether we have one - but whether we open it.
Throughout history, many Christians have gone without easy access to Scripture. Some faced persecution for owning it. Even today, having a Bible can be dangerous in places like North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan. In other parts of the world, believers simply cannot afford one.
Meanwhile, in my home, my husband and I have about a dozen Bibles in different translations, and anyone with a smartphone can access countless versions instantly.
God’s Word Changes Us When We Use It
A Bible we open and read, however, can change our lives.
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Scripture gives us guidance, clarity, and direction. It helps us navigate life and make decisions that honor God. Since we usually do not pull out a Bible in the middle of every conversation or pause to study before every decision, it’s vital to have God’s Word already planted in our hearts and minds so that God-honoring choices become second nature.
Psalm 119:11 reinforces this idea: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
When we read and study Scripture, it begins to shape our character. God’s Word becomes part of our thoughts, our motivations, and our desires. It becomes a steady standard that helps us recognize and avoid sin.
When Scripture is truly hidden in our hearts, godly choices should come naturally. If a cashier accidentally gives us $20 in change instead of $10, returning the extra money with a smile shouldn’t require a long internal debate. It should simply be the obvious thing to do.
That old measuring cup has convicted me. It’s reminded me that I need to spend more time in the Word.
Romans 12:2 puts it this way: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Culture is always shifting. What one generation calls wrong, the next may accept or even celebrate. But God’s Word never changes. If we want our thinking and our behavior to align with His will, we have to allow Scripture to shape our minds.
And that only happens when we spend time in it.
The amazing thing is that even though the Bible is thousands of years old, its message has never expired. Isaiah 40:8 reminds us, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Jesus Himself said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
My reminder to dig into God’s Word is an old measuring cup sitting in my kitchen cupboard.
After fifty years, it’s still faithfully doing what it was made to do.
Maybe my Bible deserves the same kind of use.
Sometimes God uses the simplest things to get our attention. What has reminded you to spend time in His Word lately?
