Jan 3, 2011
The Hardest Thing To Do Is Open Your Bible: A Guest Post at (in)Courage
Happy New Year, friends!
Today I’m over at (in)Courage, posting about my failure to read the Bible regularly.
I hope you’ll pop over there and join the conversation. Perhaps you have good suggestions to share to keep us in the Word in 2011.
Thanks for reading!
YOU ARE AN AMAZING WRITER. You bring tears to my eyes in every post!!! Thank you so much for writing this. Please keep writing and writing and writing. You’re a blessing.
I recently made the transition to two kids under two this is Just what I needed to hear today. Thanks so much for being honest and vulnerable.
Hey Molly,
this is good. thanks. we just have to keep coming back again and again.
and asking for grace and forgiveness for our failures. amen.
A couple of things that help me stay in the Word:
I print out a book (or part of a book) of the Bible and carry it with me in my purse to read whenever an opportunity arises.
I print out and post passage of the Bible on the bathroom mirror and other places around the house that I have to look at often (fridge, closet doors, etc.) and try to read them every chance that I can.
Play recordings of the Bible while I am going about my daily activities or driving rather than listening to music.
Great article! With twins too and a 4 month old, getting time with the Lord is hard. Reading plans aren’t really my problem (doing a chronological one right now) but it’s just that my kids are early risers and I’m pretty much ALWAYS interrupted by someone waking up. It’s hard to fit reading and prayer into my morning. I love the idea of leaving the Bible out on the counter!
BTW, I’ve stopped into this blog periodically, but didn’t realize you’d had twins! Congratulations! Mine are 3 1/2 now. You WILL survive! :)
Molly, i’ve been following your blog for quite sometime and i can’t tell you what a blessing you have been to me. your openness, humility, and desire to honor God shows thru in every post. thank you for sharing from your heart and for allowing God to use you to bless so many others. i can so relate to this post….i am a mommy of 5, and can often find myself discouraged at the lack of time i spend in the Word, yet am so hungry for more of the Word. i LOVE your idea of leaving your Bible open on the counter where i will see it numerous times throughout my days!!!
~patty
Molly, I am so glad you wrote this post! Thank you for your honesty and openess. I especially like the part about not fooling Him, anyway.
It’s a privilege and a joy to be hosting you over at (in)courage today, Molly. Do come again soon!
Hugs to you from one slacker to another ;)
Lisa-Jo
Amazing post! A breath of fresh air. Thank you!
I really liked this post! I came over from incourage.
Thanks for the encouragement and the reminder that there is grace enough, always there is grace enough.
I have three children currently in the home and because I home school I find it VERY hard to make the time for my Bible reading. I am trying to get up early to do it as that seems to be my only choice right now. However, I also do some other things to hear God’s Word.
I spend time in the car driving my girls to swimming lessons so I listen to a CD of a sermon or other teaching. I also sometimes listen to an audio Bible. If, and I mean IF, I get to exercise on my elliptical machine, I will watch a DVD of a sermon from a conference or something. You can load audio on your iPod and have the earphones in while you nurse and listen to an audio Bible or whatever. Look for opportunities – they are there!
Molly–your posts always make me wish we could be friends “in real life”! I love your writing and can so relate to busy life with twins! The submarine illustration is the BEST! I feel like my ship may just be coming up for air–our boys just turned five! However, another plunge is coming in July (just one this time!).
Thank you for being real, encouraging, and always bringing glory to God!
That was really encouraging. Thanks. :)
Got my Bible open on my counter…trying to look at it with no guilt, but just a desire to soak up whatever I can, whenever I can.
Oh Molly, this brought tears to my eyes. How I fail at this miserably on a daily basis. I like the keeping it open somewhere, idea. Also downloading the plan for when the time comes that I can actually attempt one. Thanks for all of your honesty. Helps tremendously.
Great post and so relevant for any mother of kids under the age of 3. Or 5. Or whatever! Here’s one thing I’ve started doing this year to help me: focus on one book at a time per month. So I’ll read, say, Philippians for February, and I’ll try to read as much or as little as I can throughout the day. Sometimes I can focus on one or two verses, other times, I may read the whole book through during a naptime. Or, I might try just memorizing a verse that I really want to be a part of my life, or writing a little bit about what I’m reading and what I want it to do in my life!
I’ll probably give myself some grace and do one book every two months after Baby #2 comes in May…but this seems like a “do-able” plan to me. I’d rather learn one part of Scripture well in both my head AND my heart, then read through the whole Book too quickly to be able to say that I did it in a year! That’s just me.
Cute Christmas pic! What an adorable family.
I read a cheesy hallmark book on Ruth Graham and that is exactly what she did. She had a Bible open on a table in their living room or something like that. Thanks for your honesty here…..That is what I do, 2 minutes here or there… :) And as the kids get older, my time with them just with kiddie devo books have been a huge blessing. The bigger realization for me was the power of prayer and to keep praying about any and every little thing! Love to you guys!
Thank you for your honesty in sharing your struggles and your failings. This resonated with me strongly in my own struggle in daily bible reading and following such plans. I’m looking forward to using a different approach to bible reading. Many, many thanks!!!
Such a blessing to me to read this article! Thank you thank you! I just had #4 in 5 years in late October and so many days I have felt overwhelmed, discouraged, and have not been in the Word like I should be. I really appreciate this post!