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Oh, how I've longed to meet up with you on this blog, dear friend!
Last week the kids and I started our homeschool year--seventh, fifth, and third grades--and on top of cleaning the house, cooking meals, hosting friends, and running errands, it has been quite the adjustment from our more relaxed summer schedule!
I can't count how many times I've been matching socks or running the vacuum when I've wanted to stop all that I was doing and log on to breathe some fresh encouragement into your day, because I know that life has gotten a bit more hectic for you, too. Or maybe it has just never stopped! (I can remember July was just as crazy as October when I was working 80+ hours a week in the hospital!)
But no matter how busy life is, one thing that just must happen on a daily basis is getting into the word of God. We don't have the time (oh the irony!) for a full discussion on the why that is in today's post (quick answer: knowing who we are in Christ and gleaning wisdom for day-to-day living is a start). Instead, we are going to get right down to the how to make sure this happens, no matter how crazy life is for you right now.
I just recently had a friend ask me, while sipping coffee on my back deck, how I find the time to do bible study regularly. This is such a precious woman and a long-time believer--in fact, she was in a bible study with me about a decade ago! Her question was a good one and very telling, too. It reminded me that even "seasoned" believers can struggle to find time to study God's word.
I can't remember exactly what I told my friend that afternoon, but I've given her question more thought, and I wanted to share on today's post what has worked for me over the years. This list is by NO means exhaustive, but I trust and pray that it will be an encouragement to you if you also struggle to find time to read God's word everyday.
So, here's my answer in response to the question: How do you find time to read God's word everyday?
Start your day earlier. This has worked for me in most seasons of my life (not all--big exception was when I was up all hours of the night nursing infants or mothering early-rising toddlers). I currently make it part of my morning routine and it really fills me up for the rest of the day. If this is not a viable option for your season of life, I would highly recommend this next idea:
Open SEVERAL Bibles to the SAME passage of Scripture and scatter them in well-frequented areas of your home. This system worked great for me when I had infants and toddlers. Here's how it worked: I would start reading a passage of Scripture in my bedroom--get interrupted--then set aside that Bible and go to where I was needed (let's say the kitchen). After I tended to my child in the kitchen, I would continue reading the same passage of Scripture in the kitchen from the Bible I had previously set out on the counter. When I returned to my bedroom (three hours later, let's say), I'd simply pick back up reading where I had left off earlier that day. See how that works? By day's end, I was able to read a few chapters of Scripture (or maybe just one!) but I felt consistently nourished by the Word. (Tip: be sure to keep one in the bathroom--it may just be the only quiet place in the house, mother of little ones!)
Keep a Bible in the car. I have loved and implemented this idea since I began struggling with anxiety while driving in my mid-twenties. By keeping a Bible handy in the car, you can easily squeeze in some Bible reading while waiting in carpool lines, sitting in traffic, or while waiting at the doctor's or dentist's office.
Link Bible reading with something else you do everyday. If your tend to simply forget to read the Bible, link it with something you do everyday without fail. In college, I would read the Bible while I ate a bowl of cereal; now, my husband reads his over his morning cup of coffee. If you are faithful to go to the gym, make sure you don't go until you've read your Bible (then be sure to contact me, as I need help with the gym routine!). In this way, reading God's word will become a daily habit.
Embark on a Read-through-the-Bible plan. It is a wonderful reminder and motivation to read God's Word when you are working toward a goal to read it in it's entirety within a certain period of time. As I've mentioned before, I've enjoyed doing the three month Bible reading plan, as well as the chronological one-year Bible reading plan, depending upon my season of life.
Find an accountability partner. Like with eating healthy and exercising, studies prove that being accountable to someone else is a sure-fire way of staying on track with any goal. Is there a friend, co-worker, spouse, or Bible study leader with whom you could check in regularly about your daily Bible reading? I'm sure they would love the accountability, too!
Well, that's just a handful of ways that have worked in my life to keep me grounded in God's word on a daily basis. I hope it will encourage you on your journey to read God's word everyday--not just to check a box, but to be transformed, day by day, into the likeness of Christ!
"...so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." --Isaiah 55:11(P.S. Struggling with lack of desire to read God's word? Check out this post and this one in the archives, dear friend! We've all been there, but you by no means have to stay there!!)
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