I was walking at a park with my one year old and three year old a few weeks ago when my three year old tripped (her new pair of pink sparkly shoes were just a little too big) and skinned her knee. Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw the blood, and I could tell this minor scrape felt to her like a traumatic injury.
Little did she know that only two days earlier, I had purchased a Costco sized package of bandaids to keep in the car for scrapes and boo-boos such as this. As tears ran down her cheeks, I smiled knowing my arsenal of 5000 bandaids nearby in the car meant I was more than prepared to handle a scraped knee. Coming from this mom who has forgotten diapers, blankies, or juice cups many times on our outings, it was so satisfying to feel equipped!
If only we always felt so prepared for the trials and unexpected events in our lives…
There is good news…God’s Word does prepare us for the trials and unexpected events we will encounter throughout our lives. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that
“…His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”
2 Peter 1:3
Everything pertaining to life!
God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. He allows us to learn about and know Him- by directly speaking to us through His Word, the Bible! If we are Christians who know that the Bible is completely true and inerrant, we must believe that He has given us everything we need to live a godly life no matter the circumstances:
“Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”
Psalm 119:11
“The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip.”
Psalm 37:31
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.”
Psalm 1:2-3
There is a problem though.
I’ve heard about this problem from many women, and experienced it myself in every stage of my 14 years walking with the Lord.
While I know that the Word of God is powerful to help me live a godly life, I too often struggle to take the time to truly learn it, remember it, and store it in my heart. I have had a plethora of excuses for this over the years:
High School Jackie: “I’m too busy to read the Bible today…after school, homework, and band practice it’s late and I’m exhausted. But once I make my own schedule in college I’ll have plenty of time!”
College Jackie: “I have so much to do for nursing school with tests and clinicals, I can’t find a consistent time to read my Bible. But once I graduate and don’t have tests, it’ll be easy to read my Bible!”
New College Grad Jackie: “I work nightshift, and my schedule has just been so crazy. It’s hard to find a good time to read my Bible. But once I get married and am done with wedding planning, I’ll have the head space to read my Bible.”
Newlywed Jackie: “There has just been so much change in my life with a new husband, new home, new town, new church…my time in the Bible hasn’t been consistent. Once things settle down a bit I’ll be able to get into a better routine with my Bible reading.”
Pregnant Jackie: “I’m just always so tired, it’s hard to stay awake when reading my Bible! But once the baby is born, I’ll read it to her every day!”
Brand New Mom Jackie: “What day is it? Where am I? Haven’t. Slept. In. Days. There is no way I can find time to read my Bible. Once my baby gets in a sleep schedule I’ll be able to read consistently.”
The excuses were endless.
Once I became a mom, I knew the excuses for inconsistency in my time in the Word had to stop. Through the wisdom of older moms in my life, I realized that there will always be excuses and reasons for why it is hard to read my Bible. Instead of changing my excuses, I asked the Lord to change my heart and my habits.
Storing up God’s Word in my heart is one of the most important things I can do each day. He has changed my heart over the years and convicted me to change my habits and ways instead of making more excuses for my inconsistency in reading the Bible. The result has been a life of fighting to treasure the Word and spend consistent time with Him in His Word, but it has required sacrifice and change.
Being consistent in my time in the Word has required me to sacrifice time:
I have had to be intentional in my schedule and plan ahead to ensure I have time in the morning to read.
Being consistent in my time in the Word has required me to sacrifice sleep:
I need to wake up before my littles do so that I can have time to read before they come join me in the living room and our day gets going.
Being consistent in my time in the Word has required me to truly trust God: Even in the days where I don’t feel like reading or don’t feel like I had a “spiritual moment” in my reading, I have to trust that God’s Word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11) and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). It is never a waste of time.
How are you doing with consistently storing up God’s Word in your heart?
The excuses will be numerous, real, and tempting.
There will be days when we fail.
But are you fighting to be in the Bible each day and asking God to strengthen you in this endeavor?
Autumn is a time of new beginnings. Schools are starting up, the leaves and weather will soon begin changing, and Bible study season is upon us! Take some time to make a plan for how you will be consistent in the Word this fall. Join a Bible study! I’ve found studying the Word with a small group of other believers is so helpful in accountability to be in the Word. Find a reading plan, pick a book of the Bible (or multiple!) you’d like to read, invest in a new coffee maker (in busy seasons, I’ve found it very motivating knowing a pot of coffee is patiently waiting for me in the kitchen when I wake up early in the morning to read!)…do what you need to do to set aside daily time in your schedule.
Let’s be done with the excuses for why our time in the Word isn’t consistent, and trust God to help us make real changes to help us store up His precious Word in our hearts and live godly lives that glorify Him!
Love,
Jackie
