When it comes to reading the Bible, some individuals may feel as if it is an art they must master by a certain time. They think there is a certain way in which one should go about it. When this so-called perfect plan is messed up, or they miss just one day, they stop their reading altogether. I have been guilty of this! It feels like a never-ending cycle of starting and stopping. Then, when you try to open your Bible again, you either do not have the motivation to read or do not know where to start. Maybe lately you have been feeling stuck, like it’s difficult to read the Bible when it is the last thing you want to do.

It wasn’t until quarantine started that I came before the Lord and asked Him to change my heart and desires when it came to reading my Bible. This has happened multiple times in my life before, and each time I am humbled to come before God, and He finds me just as I am. To be honest with you, a couple of months prior to quarantine, reading my Bible felt like something that was solely a part of my job or something that I was doing just to do it, like a task on a checklist. I knew something had to change.

I have never read the whole Bible, but I have always wanted to.

What was my excuse? That I didn’t have enough time. But where was I spending all my time?

That is when I committed around 61 days to reading the Bible in its entirety. When I heard that I would have to spend around 2 hours reading each day, I immediately wanted to quit. But then I thought to myself, why is everything else in my life getting priority except God? In doing research on reasons why people may avoid Bible reading, I found some interesting information. According to an article from Crossway, some barriers people may feel about Bible reading include:

• I don’t feel like I have enough time.

• I lack motivation and discipline.

• I feel intimidated and I struggle to apply the Bible to everyday life.

However, the benefits without a doubt surpass the barriers. Here are the benefits the article listed:

• I value learning more about God, myself, and salvation.

• My life is impacted and changed by what I read.

• I feel more equipped to fight against temptation and sin.

• I feel more equipped to help others.

God revealed to me that I was making these same excuses to avoid the hard parts of scriptures: the books of His Word that never made sense to me so I just never took the time to read them. This article also states, “Though tackling some of the more difficult parts of scripture can be challenging, we should attempt to spend time in each section, trusting that each part is divinely inspired and plays an important role in the biblical narrative.” When reading the Old Testament, I saw a clear picture of God’s creation, His revelation of the coming Messiah, and His promise-keeping characteristics. The God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. Although He had not been born as a man and had not walked on the earth just yet, He was still there amid His people. I was amazed at the stories I read. I will admit - a lot of books were confusing to me. I really had to challenge myself and ask questions and do my own research, even if that meant quickly going onto Google and searching an answer.

When I open my Bible, my mind and heart unconsciously drift towards New Testament passages and Psalms and Proverbs in the Old Testament. Why? The life and story of Jesus is so interesting and easy to read. Not only is it the coolest story ever told, but to me, it flows all together in one coherent piece. There are verses and stories that I heard growing up that I see come to life. We see Jesus up close and personal performing miracles, instructing his disciples, and pointing others toward salvation. What is there not to love? However, when going through this plan, I realized I was neglecting the whole Book of God. I wasn’t seeing God’s plan for redemption as a whole narrative. I was choosing what I thought would serve me best. When opening our Bibles, our first approach should not be “What am I going to get out of this?” Rather, it should be “What am I going to learn about God--His character and the love He shows to us?”

I am so thankful for spending time in the entirety of scripture.

Was it challenging? Yes. Was it worth it? One hundred percent yes!

Even the books that were difficult to tackle. Was I perfect in it? Nope! I’ll admit that I missed some days, but God’s grace picked me back up even in the days that I missed. My personal time with God went from something I felt like I had to do to something I enjoyed doing. No matter where you are in your faith, you are going to have to face these seasons in your life. You can either let it slip right past you or discipline yourself to change. We have the rest of our lives to dive deeper into scripture, and there is no specific timeline or instructions as to when or how to do it. God simply wants us to come to Him and approach His Word just as we are.

A quote that I have written in the front of my Bible to serve as a constant reminder is this: “The Bible is gloriously for us, but it is not mainly about us.” I forget where I found this quote, but when I read it, I was instantly convicted. God’s inspired words were written to guide and direct us toward Him, but we don’t always have to find an application directly to our lives. We can change our approach from feeling like God must show us something about us to a mindset for learning something new about God and His redemptive story. How can you make the necessary time and space in your daily schedule to prioritize the Word of God? I pray that the Lord will shape our hearts and minds through His Word and a lifetime of studying it.

Allyson joined the student ministry team in June of 2019. She recently graduated from Cedarville University in Ohio with her bachelor's degree in Christian Education and Youth Ministry. She served as a resident assistant there for two years and enjoyed the discipleship aspect.

She's excited to invest into the lives of the high school girls here at Orchard Hill and to build meaningful relationships and connections with them.

Allyson currently lives near North Park and is happy about living here because she loves spending time outside.