I had a strong desire to become a "better Christian”. This year, I told myself I was going to do better and be better. What I started to notice is that my desire to become a “better Christian” was not a quick process. I wanted to quicken the process of knowing Christ on a deeper level. The Lord quickly showed me that what I needed was to deepen my relationship with HIM. I needed to draw near to Him. He wanted me to strip away all the things that I thought a “great Christian” did and be alone with Him. Being alone with the Lord was tough, there were some things I was not ready to give over to the Lord. He says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” What a blessing it is to know this about our Lord. He wants us to come to Him and lay it all down before Him.

So, I started the journey to read the Bible in a year. I wanted to approach my deeper pursuit with the Lord at this starting point to provide clarity and gain understanding.

In my enthusiasm, I began my journey through the assigned text and started to notice how quickly the plan guided me through the book of Genesis. By the 4th day, I was starting to feel confined. I felt as if I did not know the stories. I was locking myself into this expectation I created in my head of how I should read the Bible. Reading the Bible in a year is a lofty goal, I thought I was doing what the Lord was guiding me to do this year. What I began to notice was that the Lord was not guiding me to just read through the Bible but to know Him, to deepen my relationship with Him, and to truly fall in love with Him.

Once I started to understand the direction the Lord was leading me in, I decided to change my Biblical focus. I grabbed my tools (pens, notebook, tissues (I tend to get emotional when I read the Word), snacks, iPad, and of course my Bible). I started reading the 5th chapter of Genesis...slowly. I then took my iPad and looked up commentary on the 5th chapter. I felt the Lord showing me this is exactly where I need to be. I am still reading the whole Bible but instead chapter by chapter (daily) without a timestamp. Reading the Bible this way allows for me to meditate on each chapter, study the deeper meaning through commentary, and feel closer to God because I am not rushed to read a rather large amount of text a day. I can truly take time each morning and study the word.

Don’t you just love when the Lord clarifies His plans for you?