On New Years Day in 2015, my resolution was to read the
Bible in a year. I’m an English teacher and a fast reader, so I should probably
admit there was a certain arrogance on my part about being able to do this in
less than 12 months, but – actually – I finished in about 16 instead. God’s always humbling me.
I was going steady until August hit – school was about to
start and life became chaotic. I was
teaching a new grade level and a new class. My son was starting kindergarten.
Our schedules and routines were changing. [Insert
other excuses here.] I stopped my reading plan and didn’t start again for another four months.
Praise God for the gap.
In that gap, life fell apart. I was so busy with life, that I forgot to live. I forgot who I live for. And
I forgot my commit to learn more about the Giver of Life.
When I started up again, I had some serious ground to
cover. My reading plan took me through the Old Testament, New Testament,
Psalms, and Proverbs each day, and those divinely written scriptures brought me
to my knees and healed me from the inside out. As I read story after story of
God’s grace, forgiveness, kindness, and mercy to those who were just like me – busy, stressed out, pressured, frustrated, unaware
– I began to see myself within the pages.
As my reading plan came to a close, I was ecstatic that I
was actually going to finish the
Bible – the whole thing, every single word. And on the morning of April 6th,
I did.
I made it through all the monotonous numbers in the book of Numbers,
through the scary laws of Leviticus, through the pleading of each of the prophets,
through David’s praises and petitions in Psalms, through Solomon’s wisdom in
Proverbs, through each of the gospels, through all of the letters of Paul, and through
the strange and intimidating territory of Revelation.
As I sat quietly reflecting on what I had learned over the course of this journey, I had another realization. April 6th would have been my
father’s 53rd birthday.
Would have been…
Instead, he died unexpectedly when I was in 7th grade.
What a fitting day for God to have me finish His Word, for
it to be fully and completely written on my heart. Instead of feeling sad or
solemn, the whole situation just felt redeemed
in that moment. This was the day the Lord had chosen for me to finish His Big Story, a story abounding in grace, redemption, and love. It was a redemption day, just like my
story became a redemption song.
For many years, I wished for a different one; mine always
felt embarrassing and seemed unpleasant to share. I wanted a cleaner
story, something that would fit a little neater into the life I was trying to
cultivate for myself.
I didn’t want to be the one whose parents were divorced.
I didn’t want to be the one whose father had committed
suicide.
I didn’t want to be the one who sowed her wild oats.e
Then.
I didn’t want to be the one struggled with body image
issues.
I didn’t want to be the one who felt like I had to keep up with the Joneses.
I didn’t want to be the one who didn’t know the stories in
the Bible.
But.
This is the story God gave me. And He chose me of all the
people in all His Creation to tell it. It’s not a story about shame or
heartbreak or isolation, though all those pieces are present. Rather, it’s a
story about how God lifted me out of the
pit of despair, out of the mud and mire, how he set my feet on solid ground and
steadied me as I walked along (Psalm 40:2). It’s about how he takes the
things that I was ashamed of, that had broken me, and used those very same
things to wash me clean and piece me back together again.
How did He do this? How did He completely rewire my brain in a mere 16 months? Through His Word. And He has promised to do the same for anyone who comes to Him, as well.
Here are 5 things I learned after reading the Bible in a
year (or so):
I
must embrace and accept the story I’ve been given.
God redeems. Short and simple.
However, Satan would have us believe that our past mistakes, hurts, and
hang-ups should define who we are. God says otherwise.
“Come
now, let us discuss this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they
will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like
wool.” (Isaiah 1:18 HCSB)
Our God wants to meet us where we
are. He knows we’re imperfect people living in an imperfect world and that none
of us are immune, but He loves us so much that He has given us His Word, His
Son, and His Spirit to help us navigate the treacheries of this life. We do
not have to do it on our own. He will help us lay down everything that
holds us back so we can rise up and use our stories and our experiences –
good or bad – to proclaim the glory of His name.
Only
God can meet all of my needs.
I realized that I am really needy. I also realized that I
expect a lot out of people, and not
just my loved ones. I’m talking about everyday people who I may just happen to
bump into at Starbucks. Average Joes.
My husband wasn’t allowed to be
tired after work. I needed him to make sure I got all the attention I needed
right when I needed it. My kids weren’t allowed to be kids. They couldn’t have
opinions of their own if they conflicted with mine. My coworkers weren’t
allowed to use any tones with me that may make me feel like someone was
irritated or mad or frustrated. Strangers weren’t allowed to not smile at me
when I walked by if I was smiling at them first. Common etiquette, right?
Here’s the thing about having these
sorts of expectations for people – they’re not realistic. Yeah, I know that’s
nothing groundbreaking, but we all expect so much from others, even if we don’t
voice those expectations.
According to my pastor, Paul
Basden, the bigger the gap is between your expectations your experience, the
higher the level of frustration. Apparently I was really frustrated.
According to the apostle Paul, this same God who takes care of me will
supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in
Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
Not some of our needs, but ALL of
them. Our wish lists are never ending, but through supplication God will meet
every.single.one. Not always in the way that we plan or desire, but in His perfect
timing and perfect design, He will fill all of our voids. In bringing our every
need and expectation to Christ, whose riches are without end, we will not
exhaust the limited supply that others around us have to give.
God speaks
to me. Seriously.
I always used to think it was weird
and maybe borderline psychotic, if we’re being honest, when people used to say
that God “told” them something.
Wait. He “told” you something?
Like, literally “told” you? Can I get his number?
My
sarcasm levels went through the roof. However, I really did want access and,
through Christ, I realized I already had it.
Now I was well-aware that I had
salvation through Christ, but I didn’t know that I had a direct line to God.
Prayer is a life force, and I’m not joking. I never really knew how to pray,
but until I fumbled around with it for awhile and crafted into my own weird
thing, I couldn’t “hear” God speak. Now I can.
Now
all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what
Christ has done for us. (Ephesians 2:18)
We all have God’s number. We just
have to pick up the prayer phone and use it.
I’m
going to be pushed really far out of my comfort zone.
There is no such thing as “safe”
Christianity because Christians are constantly being called to be the salt of
the earth, the light on a hill, the fishers of men, and love others in bold
ways in a world that is increasingly dark. The more Scripture you read, the plainer
it becomes.
We have been called to go out and do. Faith without works is meaningless.
Jesus
said, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce
lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my
name. This is my command: Love each other. If the world hates you, remember
that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you
belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come
out of the world, so it hates you.” (John 15:16-19)
We are guaranteed adversity. We have already been warned. If
Christ was the only perfect being to ever walk this Earth and he faced horrific
hardships, why would we think it should be any different for us? May we be so
bold as to step outside the bounds of our own neat little lives and step into the
heavenly realms with Christ so that we may say ‘YES’ to what He has in store
for us. Only then will our faith truly be able to save.
I
still fall short. A lot.
I don’t know what I really expected
to happen by the time I finished reading the Bible. I knew there would (or
should) be some kind of transformation in my life, in my heart, in my soul, but
I wasn’t sure what it would look like or how it would feel. Now I know.
We
are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true
for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we
all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously
declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed
us from the penalty of our sins.
(Romans
3:22-24)
The penalty of our sins is death,
but through Christ we have life. I’m still a sinner, yet I live. And when I say
that “I live”, I mean I live for Christ. It doesn’t look like how I wish it did
most of the time, but I am so thankful that our trust is placed in Christ and
not in people because there would be no hope.
We all fall short. None of us
really measure up. But there’s grace. And thank God for it because I need it
every day. Still.
The past 16 months have been nothing short of miraculous and
I still cannot believe that I have read the Bible cover-to-cover. It is a truly
wonderful feeling, one that I can’t fully describe, but the feeling of rest and
peace in my soul because of it is nothing short of miraculous. However, this
faith thing isn’t just about wisdom.
In fact, God has made
the wisdom of the world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that
the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish
preaching to save those who believe. (1 Corinthians 1:20-21)
This faith thing is all about STORY.
The story of Christ and how he, even now, intercedes on our
behalf to our perfect Heavenly Father.
The story of faith and how we, even though we don’t deserve
it, will never have to face eternal separation from God if we accept Christ as
our Lord and Savior.
The story of my life and how, even though it’s messy, it’s
real, and He will use it if I let Him.
Lord, help us BOLDLY
proclaim you and the ways that you have redeemed us and our stories. Let us
invite others to come and listen as
we tell them what you’ve done for us. Thank you for the miracle of redemption,
God, because without it we would all be lost. Truly lost. But now we can be
made whole through you and your son Jesus Christ. Help us to live lives that
honor you and let us learn more and more about who you are and what you’ve done
and will continue to do by opening your Word and diving in. We are so blessed
to be able to walk forward with our eyes open and on target with Scripture as
our guide, something many did not and still do not have, Lord. Let us not take
a single day for granted. Help us spread your gospel message to others as we
proclaim Your name. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment