My Bible Story So Far

I wrote the following in response to a friend who asked to hear my personal story of reading the Bible.

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Do you want to be convinced of God's love for you? He wrote you all about it in the Bible, describing the depth and longevity of His passion for you.

Do you want to find proof that God wants to bless you? Look for it in the Word. As you read, you'll find He keeps on blessing people, day in and day out, if they ask Him, whether they have made good or bad choices in the past. Because He loves to bless.

Do you need a refuge? The word REFUGE is mentioned about 95 times in the Bible. Read through and drink in just Who God wants to be for you.

I am a broken, corrupt perfectionist with all-or-nothing tendencies. I also have a huge ego problem (or I think I do - is that the same thing?). None of this is very helpful for spiritual disciplines. In the past I have wanted either to spend an hour in prayer and Bible reading every single day, or give it all up and forget it.

For a while back in high school I did manage to spend a half-hour praying and a half-hour reading my Bible daily, getting up early before school to do so. I don't remember how long that lasted, but certainly not into my college years, never mind my early mothering years.

I have tried all kinds of methods to make myself "do the right thing" and spend time with God. I have set a timer for five minutes to pray after putting my toddler to bed at night (I think that lasted a night or two). I have heaped guilt upon myself and felt bad. I have gone long stretches without reading the Bible at all.

Counseling in the year 2000 helped me to realize that beating myself up for various failings in my life was not accomplishing anything good, just paralysis. I was able to begin to lay the excessive guilt aside and look farther.

Then in 2001 we visited some friends from college, Michael & Emily, who live in Oregon. They are an amazing couple, very deep and thoughtful. They shared with us a book by Ronald N. Frost, entitled Discover the Power of the Bible. It talks about reading the Bible like you would read a novel - fast and at length, in big chunks, in lots of your "discretionary" time - the time you spend relaxing (instead of maybe watching TV or movies or reading books). In this fashion you can read more of the Bible and get a big picture of it, and read through it more times, becoming familiar with the whole thing in an overview sort of way. Of course there is a place for study and meditation, but this book was talking about a different way of taking in the Word.

Michael and Emily challenged me just to pick up my Bible, start at the beginning, and just read right through it, fast. So I did. I actually bought a new Bible with nice print, and read through the whole thing in order for the first time in my life, in the span of nine months, knowing Michael and Emily would want to hear from me when I'd finished. As I went along, I underlined phrases and sections that stood out to me, so I could see what I'd read and what had struck me. I had been planning to read it in a year, so I tried to read about five chapters a night before bed, which took me 30 minutes or so. But sometimes I got really into it and read more. Once on a long plane flight I read about 40 chapters in a row. Reading the Bible became something to do whenever I had some free time, like a hobby. However, sometimes this wasn't every day. And when I would come back to it a few days later, God would have something special to say to me in whatever chapter I was up to, confirming to me that it was OKAY that I hadn't read for a couple days, and I could be right back on track with Him; He wasn't going to hold it against me, because He just wanted me back, welcoming me with open arms.

Reading through the whole Bible like this helped me to fall in love with it for further reading. After I finished that first run-through, I went back over the entire thing, looking at my underlinings and typing out my favorite verses for future use. That was fun, too, and took me another several months.

What next? Frost's book had recommended teaming up with a friend for accountability, reading simultaneously but separately, and then getting in touch once a week to briefly read to each other major underlinings of that week. I did this in various ways in the next few years, with different people (sometimes one friend, sometimes two), sharing favorite verses of the week via sticky note passed at home group, by telephone date, or by email across the world. Sometimes we read random books through, choosing as we went, and sometimes we read through a Bible-in-a-Year schedule like the original Discipleship Journal Plan (reading in four places at once) or the Book-at-a-Time Discipleship Journal Plan, which are downloadable online. In 2006 I began sharing select verses here on my web log when I felt like it, along with sending emails to two friends every Friday. In 2007 I am reading only a chapter a day or less, to allow more time for meditation, on a daily schedule with my 3 family members. This gives me accountability to my kids, who are reading the same passages, and then we can discuss what we've read (ideally - this doesn't happen very often yet, but I want it to; to my delight it happened today). For me variety is a key, trying a different schedule each year. One year I only read the New Testament through, giving myself a break from the push of doing the whole thing. And by the end of that year, I had a real hunger for the Old Testament, and went back to the entire Bible the next year.

Now, as I read the Bible, seemingly "new" important and interesting points keep popping out at me, though I've read it over several times at this point; I find new encouragement for this moment and this circumstance. I'll never be "done," since it's such a big book that by the time I've read it all, it's time to start again and the parts I read first are fuzzier in my mind and need refreshing. There's always more to pray over in light of recent developments in my life that bring lessons into clearer focus. I need different passages at different times. The more I read it, the more easily I can remember passages I might need in the future if not now.

About reading the Bible regularly - if you miss a day or a week or a year, oh well, so what, don't give up, start again. "For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again" Proverbs 24:16 (it doesn't say a righteous man doesn't fall). It's not about perfection or any other such myth - it's about nourishing the deepest part of yourself. It's GOOD! Not good OF you, just good FOR you. Reading the Bible is also tasty, revealing, surprising, hearty, warm, delightful, and wisdom-giving.

But for me, I NEED a system of accountability. I have often caught up with the reading schedule on the day I had to share favorite verses - it's like a regular checkpoint. Even if sometimes the system sort of dictates your reading, it's better than not reading at all - you may read sometimes because you want to, sometimes just because you "have to," but it's always beneficial.

For example, in my 2006 run-through of the Bible, I was impressed by certain facets of the nature of God: His love, His willingness to bless, and especially His capacity to be my refuge:

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30

Notice part of taking refuge in Him has to do with His flawless Word - I need to read it!

Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Psalm 31:2 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge Psalm 73:28

Notice in taking refuge in God I am being near Him and talking to Him - I need to pray!

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

Two ways to taste God are by drinking in His words and breathing in His presence in prayer. This is a way to take refuge in Him.

The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:22

Here is where we throw the guilt out the window - take refuge in Him and there's no condemnation (whether the last time you took refuge in Him was yesterday or 20 years ago).

How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7

It doesn't matter who you are - He has love for you as you take refuge in Him. It's about Him.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. Psalm 57:1

We had some seeming disasters in the past two years with our two international moves and all the problems they entailed. But God had mercy on us all the way through and was our refuge. It was good to have been reminded Who He wanted to be for us by seeing it repeatedly in the Word.

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8

It's okay to tell Him exactly what you think, and He'll still be your refuge as you trust in Him.

The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him Nahum 1:7

This is one of my favorite verses of all time. We trust; He cares for us and is our Good Refuge. Such a deal. I could do with reading this every day.

Now that I have seen how God has been able to change my patterns and thoughts about Bible-reading, I want Him to bring about this kind of change for prayer time in my life! I currently am in great need of God to insert prayerfulness into me. Nonetheless, in the meantime, I know He doesn't hate me, He loves me - I know because I read it in His Word regularly. Filling myself with truths helps guard against those awful lies that are always trying to take over my mind. If anyone wants to join me and my family in our daily Bible reading this year, I am happy to email you our schedule, although it's a bit of a weird one in that it is tailored to what my kids didn't read last year. All great stuff though, guaranteed! We can trade favorite verses weekly by email, which is what has kept me going in the past.

Read on!