Choosing His Words - Part 7

For the first week or two of the new year I asked some friends to share on the topic of Bible reading. Often we women feel guilty and frustrated about our Bible reading habits and I hope this can bring inspiration. 

When I was a teenager, I often only skimmed or skipped sermons in books and the Bible verses in articles or stories. Church signs with Bible verses were more boring than church signs with jaunty little sayings. As life becomes more crowded, though, I value those bits of Scripture more.

It is something I rarely confess—that I face a constant struggle to have my personal devotions every day as a mom. (My teenage self would be appalled.) Yet I can say honestly that I pray without ceasing, all day long. And I find myself “reading without ceasing,” too.

Now the Bible verses in the stories are the bits I reread. A nearby church sign says “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,” and the verse invites me into it every time we pass—I’ve yet to reach the outer edges of those words.

It’s also important for me to place scripture around me to read as I “run.” I like the flip calendar on the kitchen sink to have Bible verses on it. I put a verse on the chalkboard. Verses on the walls. I read my preschooler’s memory verses for the quarter, which hang on the fridge. I remember, often guiltily, that bits of scripture such as these can never take the place of daily Bible reading, but in this season, they feed me without ceasing.

As a reader, I always, always find time to read—something. For other moms who are readers, they might find it helpful to do as I have done in some seasons—I set aside a day a week in which I read nothing but the Bible.

I was inspired by these words by a grandmother recently: The more we do something, the more we will desire to do it. Perhaps if I am not desiring the Word, I am not reading it enough.

Among other things I have done to make Bible reading more real to me is to hand write it. I also like to paraphrase it, putting sentence by sentence into my own words. - Sheila P.

Are you looking for Biblical inspiration for young women in your life? I've enjoyed The King Daughter magazine which Sheila edits.

The King's Daughter, a quarterly publication, containing stories, inspiration, and discussion for young women ages 13-18. Rates are $12 for one year or $23 for two years. Send subscriptions to The King’s Daughter at P.O. Box 127, Mercersburg, PA 17236. Send a 6x9 SASE and $3 for a sample copy.