Why Bible Reading Gets Hard

Jacqui 0:00

Greetings, listeners! If you've ever meant to read your Bible more consistently, and then life got in the way, this episode is for you. We start with good intentions, then the week gets busy, we miss another day, then another, and before long, opening the Bible feels harder than it ever felt before. So today isn't about getting that perfect. It's about three small things that make it easier to come back. Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where every two weeks we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable, bite-sized chunks. We've spent this stretch of episodes learning how to read the Bible well, choosing a translation, paying attention to genre, reading in context, and even studying with a method that works for you. But today we're taking all of that and turning it into something you can actually do this week.

Before You Read: Anchor A Habit

Jacqui 1:14

Three small things. Something to do before you read, while you read, and after you read. Let's start with the before you read. The easiest way to build a new habit is to attach it to an old one. Something you already do every day without thinking about it. After you pour your coffee, after you sit down for lunch, before you check your phone in the morning, after you put the kids to bed. Pick one of those, then decide right after I do that, or just before I do that, I'll open my Bible and read. Your routine will remember when you should be reading, so you don't have to. So that was something you can do before you

While You Read: Widen The Context

Jacqui 2:07

read. Next is a tip to do while you read. Okay. Once you sit down, there's one habit that changes how much a passage makes sense. Read a little around it before you focus in. Read a few verses before it and a few verses after. A single verse on its own can be easy to misunderstand, but reading the paragraph around it helps us see what the writer meant. It'll help you notice who's speaking, who they're speaking to, and what's happening. You don't need a commentary for this. You just need to keep reading a little past where you were planning to stop. And the third tip for after you read, we've touched on before you read, during your reading, so not after you read.

After You Read: Write One Sentence

Jacqui 3:06

When you're done reading, before you move on with your day, write one sentence. It might be a truth that encouraged you, a question you still have, or something that spoke to a need in your life. That's all. One sentence is enough. Over time, these short notes can help you see what you're learning and how God has been meeting you through His Word. Now, you don't need to do all three of these tips tomorrow. Pick one that feels the easiest. Let it become normal, then add the next one.

Missing Days Without Shame

Jacqui 3:46

Now, at some point you'll miss a day of reading, maybe more than one. That's not a judgment on your faith, and a missed day doesn't erase the ones before it. God's welcome isn't measured by the length of your reading streak. You don't have to earn your way back. Just open the Bible and begin again, wherever you are.

Choose One Tip This Week

Jacqui 4:12

So here's one question to carry with you this week. Of the three, anchoring it to something you already do, reading a little around the passage, or writing down one sentence? Which feels like the easiest place to start? Pick that one. Try it this week, and that's enough. And as you read this week, may you find freedom from pressure, patience with yourself, and joy in returning to God's Word.

Link, Blessing, And Closing

Jacqui 4:51

Click on the link in the show notes for a more in depth look at ways to level up your Bible reading habits. Until next time, keep reading, keep seeking, and keep growing in your faith.