To Deeper Brain Indentations
With the turn of any new year, many people decide to make changes to their lifestyle. It is almost always changes for the better life, whether it is losing weight, exercising more, etc. A common proposed change for many Christians is to read through the Bible in a year.
There are so many different kinds of Bibles and daily reading plans available. I am not going to endorse one over another. You need to find one that fits your lifestyle, your needs, and most importantly one that is doable. I don’t see the point in having unattainable goals in any aspect of life.
When people want to live more self-sufficiently, I caution them from jumping in too deep. If you really want to live this lifestyle in the long-run, you have to take baby steps. Accomplishing one small goal like planting a garden or raising your own eggs is an important first step. Once you are doing that well, then you slowly expand your goals. One day you will look around at your thriving garden, your freezer full of home-raised meat, your clothes drying on a line, and feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment. You are more likely to drown if you jump into the deep end without practicing the basic fundamentals of swimming.
In the same way, you can be overly enthusiastic in your desire to get in shape or further your understanding of God’s Word. By having unattainable goals, you are left discouraged and disappointed with yourself. At my age and fitness level coupled with my intense dislike for running, it would be ridiculous to sign up for a marathon. I would not be able to finish the race.
Our church emphasizes personal quiet time, and seeks to train even the youngest to feast on God’s Word. Through daily reading and scripture memory, you cannot help but find yourself meditating on God’s Word day and night. I have been amazed at how easily even my three-year old memorizes Bible verses. His mind is a sponge.
Last year, my family read through the New Testament using a chronological Bible. It was a rewarding experience. Some of my children could not sit through the entire suggested reading section per day. It was too long for their attention span. So I broke it down into even smaller bits. Slow and steady wins the race, and we eventually finished.
This year we are tackling the Old Testament. The kids are all a year older and are now able to sit for the entire section of reading. We are moving much faster through the Bible compared to last year, but we will not finish this year. Am I upset? Absolutely not. So what if we do not follow the prescribed plan. Is that the point?
If you have never read the entire Bible, it is a worthy goal. I highly recommend it. Just don’t get so hung up on whether or not you finish in a year. If that is your focus, when you miss one day, the reading piles up. Seeing all the pages that you have to read to catch up, you are much more likely to give up. Before you know it, you aren’t even trying to read the Bible. You think, “I’ll wait until next year. Then I will really do it.”
My oldest son was telling me the other day how every time you learn something an indentation is made in your brain. The more you learn about that same subject the deeper the indentation. So taking his information as true, my hope is that Christians will commit to deepening their Bible brain indentations in 2012. Hopefully that is a goal to which you can commit.
I agree that it is easier to read the Bible through, if you don’t HAVE a “Timetable” to get it done. As long as you are reading some every day and attaining what you are reading, that is what matters the most. Thank you from one Texan to another!
God is Good!
I thought this was a wonderful article, I have been following your blog for 2 years now and it has helped keep our spirits going to strive for our own homesteading dreams. Please keep it up and thank you for the blog.