Amy @ Mom’s Toolbox asked me to write some tips for some of the readers who have fallen behind. It’s also posting today @ Mom’s Toolbox.
Enjoy! We’ll be back to SOAPS tommorow.
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So, you’ve fallen behind. A little bit? A lot? Let me tell you a story that may be a little bit of encouragement to you.
Last January 31, I decided I wanted to read the Bible in 90 days—saw Amy’s website “advertising” it, and thought it would be a great challenge for me in the “new year.” So I began, only to discover I’d started 30 days AFTER Amy’s group had started. But that didn’t matter; I was determined to finish in MY 90 days. When I started getting toward 45 days, I began to really want to finish with the other group—but how do you catch up when you are behind 30 days? (That’s a LOT of pages!! And right now, some of you who are behind 5 or 10 days are not feelin’ so bad.)
At first, I just read a few extra pages a day….and that caught me up 5 more days at the end of a week. But I was still behind 25 days and they were finishing in 10! So I asked the Lord to help me do this. Amazingly, He did. (Why are we always so surprised?!?)
In a matter of 16 days, I read and read and read and read…He cleared my days, He cleared my schedule, He provided space and quiet and time (and attention span) for me, and I finished with the rest of the gang. I read it in 66 days….and if I (a home school mom of 2 kids in middle and high school, a piano teacher, a wife and a swim team coach) can do it—anyone can!
I’ve written down some tips here for getting it done, and for catching up. Take what suits you, leave the rest….I really want you to succeed in this. (In fact, there is a whole group of people who want you to succeed. The mentors have been praying and helping and loving on you—we want you to LOVE the Word…and to finish this going strong! These tips come from all of us, who’ve been there before…)
Reading the whole Bible in such a short period of time literally changed my life, changed my perspective, changed my outlook, and changed my heart. I want that for you too!
- First things first. Decide that you really want to do this. Pray about it. If you really want this, you’ll be able to make time and get it done. (He will make a way for you.)
- Tell God you are going to finish. Be determined to be true to your word.
- How far behind are you? A couple days? Double up on Sunday and Monday, while keeping up with the daily reading. You’ll be caught up in no time. A week or more? Make a plan. Stay with the current day in addition to reading ½ of each day you are behind until you‘ve caught up. It may take 2-3 weeks, but you can do it. It’ll require a commitment, but you’ve already committed, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
- Redeem the Time. TAKE YOUR BIBLE EVERYWHERE YOU GO. If you have 20 minutes before the kids wake up, or they are over at a friend’s house for an afternoon, or your lunch plans at work fell through, or you suddenly find yourself waiting in the car at practice for an hour, USE IT! God has cleared your schedule and has given you this time…use it to catch up or get ahead. And then praise Him for it!
- If you are having a particularly busy time and feel you cannot commit to the whole day’s reading, at least set aside 15 minutes to get something done
- Read even if you only have 5 minutes to do it (while lunch is heating in the microwave, while waiting for your kids to get their shoes on…)
- Read the daily reading as early as possible in the day. You’ll be far less likely to forget if it’s the first thing you do. Also, you’ll get quite a spiritual boost by making the Bible first each day! I don’t think it’s by chance that David said “early will I seek thee” in Psalms 63:1. I know it’s hard to get up, I really do. But it’ll be worth it with your sense of accomplishment.
- This is a READING plan, not a STUDY plan. Just read. It’s approx. 12 pages a day, of reading. Don’t try to decipher the hidden Hebrew or Greek. Just read.
- I’ve been encouraging my group to make a “LATER LIST.” If you really don’t understand something or want to know more about something, have a list with you when you read, and mark down a phrase, a verse or a concept that you want to study LATER. Then put it aside and READ. (Last spring, when I read, I did this, and by the end of the Bible, I had discovered I didn’t know a whole lot about WORSHIP—so I STUDIED it for a couple months AFTER I was done. It works, I promise.)
- Find someone to ENCOURAGE you in this. It’s monumental, but not impossible. We all need friends. As nice as it is to have an In-Real-Life friend to do this with, it’s not always a luxury we experience. If no one in your Real Life will be the encouragement you need, email your mentor (and if you don’t have one…. Email Amy (amy at momstoolbox dot com). Email me (kari dot dyan at hotmail dot com). We can be that encouragement. We can chat. We can brainstorm to figure out a solution…There’s no shame, or embarrassment, or judgment, or anything of the sort…Just a sister trying to help you hop over this roadblock and get back on track.
I realize that not everyone who signed up for this 90 day challenge is a born and bred Christian. I know that some of us haven’t known about God for very long. I know that some of us (myself included) don’t have a local church they attend or a local group to fellowship with. I know all of this, yet it doesn’t matter one bit. Why? Because we are all a fellowship now. Right here online. It’s the craziest thing, but all 500+ of us that signed up are in this together. So if you have a question, or need some help or want to vent, or are frustrated, email Amy….she’ll get you in touch with someone who will become your ally in and through this.
It’s worth it, I promise. (God promises it, too… it’s in there.) Now GO READ!
