Why & How Should I Read The Bible

It was June of 2010. I was a brand new mommy to my son Quinn. He was colicky. Breastfeeding was a disaster, but I was determined to keep trying. He did not sleep. The truth about this period of my life is that I was miserable. My dreams and lofty expectations of a sweet and warm transition to a family of 3 were totally shattered. I remember feeling resentment towards the moms around me…the ones who had newborns that slept and didn’t have a ‘difficult temperament’ as the doctor observed about my son. I felt resentment towards my husband as he left for work each morning while I looked at the day ahead with an honest ‘how AM I going to make it?’ I was deep into a place of self-pity and asking God, why?? I thought I was going to be a wonderful mommy. I had read all the books, I had babysat many children in my life, I had taken all the classes, I had known I wanted to be a mommy my whole life! But here I was, a very tired, stressed mommy who thought her baby hated her, and I wasn’t doing this well. It was one of the darkest times in my life. 

Then, when my son was 4 months old, God broke in and told me to get to work. My amazing mother in law offered to take me through a bible study, and I said yes. A very intense, women’s study specifically about suffering, where I would memorize a new passage of scripture every week for 15 weeks. Now, before all this, I would have told you that I was a strong believer in Jesus. It wasn’t until this difficult period of motherhood that I learned how shallow my faith really had been. This was when I fell in love with God’s word, and it changed me forever. I was in His word, meditating on it, every single day for 15 weeks. 

The first verse I memorized was ‘I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word’ (Psalm 119:16). 

Through this period of time, I learned to truly ‘delight’ in the life-giving laws and words of God. I learned to make His words my own. I could see that His promises in the Bible were actually for me.

 I would go into my son’s room in those dark hours of the night repeating scripture to myself such as ‘God is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, I will not fear’ (Psalm 46:1,2).

 I would use the countless night wakings to review the verses in my head, solidifying their place in my heart. God helped me to persevere through this rough season. I understood His sovereignty in a new way. I understood that He had me in this hard time for a purpose; He could have taken it away, but He didn’t. 

I called to mind that ‘in all things God works for the good of those who love Him’ (Romans 8:28) and that I was given a challenging baby for my ultimate good (even though I couldn’t see it at the time).

 I worked hard to reprogram my old tendencies towards self-pity to trusting that God was weaving all of these experiences into a grander plan for my life, beyond my dreams of having a happy baby. His words were truly a light that broke into my darkness, my blindness.

Now, I can’t say that motherhood was a breeze from then on. After all, difficult babies sometimes grow up to also be difficult children. I have made many mistakes, and there have been many times that I’ve chosen to trust my own understanding, instead of God’s beautiful redemptive plan for my life. But I can say that I will always have His words hidden in my heart. I can call them to mind no matter where I am or what I am doing. When I am sleepless at 4am, when someone has hurt me deeply, when a friend needs encouragement, or when I am looking out at an incredible sunset that He has made. They are there in my heart. They give me life. If you’ve never given scripture memory a chance, I strongly encourage you to try it.

 If you haven’t read the Bible, there is no time like the present. You will not regret it. It will cut you to the core in the most tender of ways. It will change you. That’s what it was designed to do. 

‘For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart’ (Hebrews 4:12).

Blessings,

Kristi Brooks

At-Home Study

Pray: ask God to reveal Himself to you through the scriptures, to help you receive the message He has specifically for you today.

Read: each passage twice in 2-3 different translations.


{Day 1} 2 Timothy 3:10-17

{Day 2} Proverbs 4:20-23

{Day 3} Matthew 7:24-29

{Day 4} John 15:1-11

{Day 5} James 1:19-25



Observe: What is happening? What catches your attention? What is the message of this passage?What thoughts or feelings does it provoke?

Reflect: Why do these things catch your attention? Why do you feel or think certain things from reading it?

Apply: What does this say about God? What does it say about people? What does it say about God's plan for us? What does this mean for you? How can you apply what God is saying to you?