When I was about 8 years old and didn’t care a lick about God, I read the bible in my free time. I know that sounds bizarre, but hear me out. The bible is fascinating literature.
I loved reading the incredible stories – giants, floods, massacres, water beasts, talking animals, talking bushes, plagues, slavery, intrigue, animal sacrifices, human sacrifices, murder, sex, dancing, music, obelisks and furnaces (in one story!), pride, arrogance, patience, purity, vengeance, miracles. Everything I could ever want in a piece of literature I found in my Good News Bible.
As I entered adolescence, I read my bible less and less, and I discarded it when I was 13. Thirteen was a rough year. I hated everything and everyone, especially myself and God. Some friends recognized the hurt in my heart and prayed for me, but I repaid them with derision. They persisted, however, and eventually cajoled me into attending a Power Team rally during the early part of 9th grade.
I accepted Jesus at that rally, and I picked up my bible when I got home that night.
I again became an avid bible reader, but instead of seeing bible stories as fascinating literature, the characters became my companions and their struggles my lessons.
I’m very different now than the 14-year-old girl who found friendship in the bible’s pages, but I still turn daily to the good news found in the bible.
I find God’s counsel and wisdom there. I also find the strength to apply myself to His teachings. I don’t do this perfectly. I fail more times than I like. But when I look back on the 9th grader with a wicked scowl and compare her to the woman I am today, I recognize I have had success amidst my failure.
I know that God grows me incrementally through the daily practice of reading His word. He uses His word as a tool to shape me into the person He designed me to be. It can be uncomfortable, sometimes desperately so, but I’m excited to see where He leads.
God has designed you, too, with a wonderful purpose, and applying yourself to studying His word will help you see it.
If you want to partner with someone as you dive deeper into the bible and God’s purpose for your life, please contact me for 1:1 coaching. I would love to join you on your journey.
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