Learning to Love Scripture

As far back as I can remember I sat in church on Sunday with scratchy pantyhose and white buttoned sandals. Pink frilly dresses with a layer of ribbon on the edge. Ribbon thick enough to scratch through the white nylon pantyhose my mother used to make me wear. I loathed it. Every scratchy second of Sunday. Particularly in the Florida heat mid-summer.

What I didn’t loathe were the stories and truth I learned in those little blue chairs of my Sunday School classroom. Slaves freed. Seas parted. Plagues. Lions unable to eat humans. Men standing unscathed in a furnace. Earth flooded. Bushes burning. Holy mountains.

My Biblical heritage and Bible literacy runs deep. But don’t be deceived my friend, knowing about Jesus is not the same as knowing Jesus!

Growing up in a Christian private school and attending church each week gave me a solid foundation of Bible literacy. But it would be many years before my head knowledge became heart knowledge. And even more years until my heart knowledge became heart transformation. While I had learned the stories, memorized the verses, and could argue most any theological point, (Thank you college debate team and a year of Biblical foundations classes at the same time!) being intimate with Jesus was a struggle. And opening  Scripture to fall in love with Jesus is much different than using the book as a tool to prove a point.

Ugh. Yeah. I did that. I used the Bible to promote myself, my knowledge and my abilities.

Something shifted in my world somewhere between 25-30 years old. I can’t pinpoint the day and time, but somewhere after my world began to crash around me, I got over myself and learned to love Scripture.

For some, reading the Bible and falling in love with Jesus just happens. Like a magical fairy tale. It’s easy and seamless. For some, like myself, it was a constant struggle to open the Bible and focus on the words in front of me. Dejected and frustrated I would quit. “God likely doesn’t want my grump heart anyways.” I would tell myself. And slowly, but surely, I built walls around my heart to keep God out and tune out His voice.

So how does a girl like me fall in love with Scripture? Here’s my system:

1-Prayer

It sounds ridiculous. But honestly, I had to pray about my unwillingness to study Scripture. I don’t know why it took me so long? I guess I told myself God would get His feelings hurt if I said it to Him? {I know, I’m weird.} Once I came clean with Him about how much of a struggle it was for me, the pressure I placed on myself dissipated. I laid my heart out. “God, I want to know you. I know I should love reading your Word, but I’m not there yet. Help me. Teach me. Guide me. Encourage me. Sustain me. Pursue me and cause me to pursue you.

Y’all. It worked!

Before I knew it, my heart started to shift, and what felt like a burden or a thing to check off the “good Christian girl’s checklist” became a desire. It was small at first, but it was there!

2- Plan

When we don’t plan to succeed, we prepare to fail. I’m not a morning person. I’m not. After years of being awake all hours of the day and night with nursing babes, waking up to give God my morning made me miserable and resentful. However, mid-afternoon while tiny humans napped was my game time! I was happy, excited and ready to dive into the day’s reading.

Having a reading plan/study booklet/commentary of some sort kept me focused and on target. Knowing what my goal was for reading Scripture helped me maintain momentum. Slowly, small faithful days turned into weeks, then months, then years.

3- Place

Having a sweet spot in my house where I get comfortable, still my heart, and “snuggle” in with Jesus made a huge difference for me. Some people need to sit at a table and have their tools in front of them, some tuck away in a quiet closet to get alone with Jesus. Me, I have a huge oversized chair with a throw blanket and I literally snuggle in with Jesus. My Bible, notebook, reading plan, pens, highlighters, drink, and blanket settle in and Jesus and I chat. He speaks to me through His word, and I journal back to Him. (We’ll talk more about journal habits another day!)

 

4- Pace

Reading through the Bible in a year is great. But I needed to slow myself down and process what I was reading. When I would try to read 3-4 chapters of the Old Testament, 1-2 chapters of the New Testament and a Psalms or Proverbs a day I became annoyed and confused. By slowing down and taking my time in a chronological approach through Scripture I was able to catch details, ask questions, and engage with God in my time through His Word.

I don’t want reading the Holy Word of God to be something I check off my to do list. I want to read scripture to have my life transformed. I never want to “finish” reading the Bible, but rather I want my life to be finished through the work the Bible does in my heart.

5- Perspective

I had been coming to Scripture looking for what I could walk away with to benefit my immediate needs. While there is nothing wrong with this, I became selfish in my approach to “quiet time,” and as selfishness always does, it made me frustrated.

As I shifted my perspective toward learning everything about the character and nature of God, I began to see details I had always missed. Stories became alive with power and majesty as I saw God moving in the lives of His people.

6- Pressure

I had to give myself grace to screw it up. All the pressure I put on myself to “be a good Christian” was exactly what was keeping me from being a good Christian! When I “gave up” studying the Bible and started sitting with Jesus in my Bible I fell madly in love. Head. Over. Heels! When I saw Jesus as He is, for who He is, how could I not love him? And once you fall in love with Jesus, well all you want to do is spend time with Him!

I wish I could tell you my “process” was easy and instant. That once I followed this process it all went without a hitch. Truthfully, time and faithfulness were my biggest allies. As I became faithful in my study of scripture, God’s faithfulness carried me to a place of desire.

If you’re head over heels for Jesus and love spending time in His Word, press on sweet friend. Encourage others around you, and grow your roots deep in the truth of His precious words. If you’re struggling in your study of scripture, sweet one, don’t lose heart! Don’t allow yourself to listen to the enemy’s lies that you don’t need to be in scripture. Find yourself a reading plan, pick a book of the Bible, make a plan and start reading. Dear friend, start somewhere and just don’t stop.

And always, always, always know sweet one, you’ve got support, encouragement and a friend in me, all you need is ask. I would love to help you jump start a study, work through ideas and swap ideas about scripture!

Have a great weekend my loves.