As much as I would like to say the is click bait, I can’t. At least not until last month. I have read passages of the bible. I have studied lots of different parts of the bible in different ways. But until Yesterday I could not say I had read the bible.
To give you all a little context, I heard through a team mate about a Bible reading plan/challenge. She was told about it through a racer we met in Cambodia who was towards the end of her race. She said that the best thing she had done on the race was read the Bible cover to cover in three weeks (the time we are typically with a ministry host). First I thought, “that’s insane, how could you ever do that?” But it was inspiring so it stuck with me. I was really convicted of it in Thailand when I was able to finish 2 books in a week with no problem. However, I was hardly spending any time in the word. My prayer game was strong (shout out Pastor TJ), my worship game was great (because what else do you do when riding in the back of a truck for hours on end and can’t hear your team mates over the road noise), but my scripture reading game was crap. Something I got wrong about the race was the expectation that I would just become this super disciplined bible studying, scripture goddess who radiated the joy of the Lord simply by being. LOLZ nothing could be more wrong. But that is another blog for another time.
With all that being said, I was convicted to do the Bible reading challenge, wherein I would read the entire bible in 3 weeks. I had NEVER read the whole bible. There were books I had never even cracked. But I sat down and divided the pages into there equal parts, marked them, and prayed I’d have the discipline to complete it.
Wednesday (June 28th) I finished Revelation. PRAISE THE LORD!!!
Here are a few things I have learned or more deeply understood through this…
– The Word literally gives life. I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in me. I had more joy. I had more patience. I was more fully ME than possibly ever. Before the race I had the question of whether the goofy weird person I was around my family was my false-self. I seriously considered that this low key, negative, extra sarcastic, easily frustrated, entitled person was the real me. That’s just depressing. And that is exactly what the enemy wanted me to believe. When truly immersed in the Bible I have so much more true life.
– The Lord loves making and keeping his promises. When I was reading the Old Testament, I saw time after time the ways the Lord loves to bless his kids. He made promises to David and kept them even when the people who were benefiting were truly wicked. When he makes promises he fully intends on keeping them, regardless of how well we hold up our end…and that truth swings both ways. He is equally as just and wrathful as he is forgiving and loving. Take a read through the prophets and you will get that message over and over.
– Isaiah beautifully portrays the character of the Lord. I loved reading through that book and would not shut up about it to my team. It is the first book of the bible that I have circled back to since completing the challenge. Isaiah’s closeness to the Lord is evident as well as his struggle to accurately describe all the character traits of the Lord without over emphasising certain ones in favour of others.
– The Bible is emotional. Being raised in the church and school that I was, I learned to read the bible as something to analyse and study. This is not a wrong approach, but it can rob you of some beautiful perspective. Reading through this book as a story opened my eyes and my heart the the characters themselves. I was able to see them as people and not as characters to be dissected. I could feel the sadness (not anger) when the Israelites turned back the the empty things of the Lord. I could feel the despair and joy of David through his psalms. I could feel the frustration of Job, his family and the Lord as he stepped in to reconcile their differing oppinions. I felt the incredible joy while reading Luke 2 as well as the pain in reading the crusifiction. If you were curious about by Myers Briggs `I am an INTP….stress on the T. This means I process things through by thinking them, not feeling them. So the emotional experience of the Bible were mostly foreign and completely incredible!
There are so many things I learned through the reading challenge and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone and everyone. It is totally possible. I have challenged a number of my squad mates to do it when they get home. The time in-between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the perfect window. You might think, “Wow that is literally the busiest time of the year!” Perfect! What better time to make sure you are fully focused on the reason for the season and for it to give you life to the fullest!
There will most likely be a part two to this blog that goes more in depth to the things that I have been learning through scripture on the race. I’m excited to write it! Also, a few more Nature Talks are in the works. I just need to sit down and write them. ??
Thank you all again for keeping up with me on this journey!
Until next time,
Gig’em and God bless
