Bible Reading For Busy Moms: A Guest Blog Post by Brayden

I asked (she debates that) Brayden, my wife to write an article for mothers seeking to be consistent in their devotional life, below you find her, in my opinion, fantastic short article on the matter. Happy reading!

When Joey “volun-told” me that I was going to write this blog post on Bible reading as a mom, I actually laughed out loud. I had just gone 7 days straight without opening the Word, my longest absence since starting a Bible Reading Challenge in January. 

I was discouraged to get back to it because I was so far behind, but then I remembered the advice from Rachel Jankovic: just jump back in on the current days reading if you get behind. Weight lifted.

It’s necessary to have a plan

I am not going to get into why it is necessary for us as Christians to be regularly reading the Word. I do, however want to encourage you to read with a plan. Reading without a reading plan, usually results in no reading (speaking from experience). I am not saying that you need to start right off with reading the Bible in 1 year, but having a daily pre-determined plan is a must. 

With that said, reading the Bible through in 1 year takes about 15 minutes a day. Don’t we already spend that much time scrolling through Instagram in a day? 

The type of plan matters. When a friend approached me in January about doing a 1 year Bible Reading plan together, I had a list of things I wanted from my plan because I know my habits. I wanted a plan that would give the day’s reading on my phone and I wanted it to have the ability to read me the text in a tolerable reading voice. Why? Because we are having another baby this Summer and while I am able to set aside time today, I know that I will be reading more “on- the -go” once he comes.

Have accountability

I already mentioned that I am doing my current plan with a friend. It helps knowing that someone I have regular contact with is going to ask me “how are you liking 1 Samuel?” If you do not live amongst a community of believers who would do this with you, Christ Kirk in Moscow Idaho has a Facebook group where hundreds (maybe thousands) are reading through the same text every day. They even have a podcast where they occasionally discuss the current reading (What Have You). They just started a #onepagesummer reading challenge and will kick off another one this fall. I have found that when I discuss what I am reading, it sticks with me, I learn from the thoughts of the person I am discussing it with and as a result, I grow in my love for the Lord.

A Warning, read devotionally

It is a good thing to want to stay on schedule. I have a very type-A personality which lends itself to staying on schedule. In fact, I have only been a stay at home mom for a year and the biggest difference to being a working mom was that I felt like I had no schedule. So, this has been a welcome task (for lack of a better word) that allows me to feel accomplished by checking off my list. That comes with a warning, however. It is easy to see this as something you just check off and bam, done. You begin to think, ‘I am a good Christ follower because I have gone 7 straight days reading in the book of Leviticus’. BUT if we are not reading in a way that causes us to treasure Christ more deeply, then what’s the point? We should be feasting on the Word, not reading it solely intellectually. 

A snack is better than a day without food

It’s important to remember that a snack is better than a day without food. Maybe all the kids have the stomach virus and you can only read one of the passages that day, don’t let that discourage you. Reading at all (in a devotional way) is going to produce fruit. One of the things the ladies on the “What Have You” podcast encourage you to have is a very- used Bible that you can throw in your car and pull out while you are waiting to pick up your kids in the car pool line or sitting in a long Starbucks line. Some days I spread my 15 minute reading out from 7am to 10pm in little doses whenever I find a quiet moment. Another great thing about a reading plan is that when if I get behind and just skip to the current day’s reading, I know that I will most likely not miss the exact same days the following year and be able to fill in the gaps. 

Conclusion

Moms are pulled in a million directions. There is always something you could be working on (laundry, dinner, etc.). Then when the kid(s) are finally asleep you just want to relax. I know the feeling so well, dear sister. But becoming disciplined to immediately reach for your Bible, will only produce fruit. Motherhood has shown me how much I need Jesus every day. It is the most challenging thing I have ever done. It has never been more crucial for me to rely on His Word and see the bigger picture of my work and feasting on the Scripture helps me do this. 

In her book, Theological Fitness, Aimee Byrd compares our physical fitness to our need for Biblical fitness in an exposition of Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” We do not walk into the gym once after a New Year’s resolution ready to run a marathon the next day. It takes regular discipline to have the necessary endurance to run a race like that. We are all running a marathon now as Christians, and we need to be regularly in the “gym” (i.e. God’s Word) to have the strength to persevere in our confession of hope. Don’t wait until the trial comes to spend regular time grasping God’s Word. Face the trial with a year of training behind you so that you can face it to the glory of God. 

For Further Study: 

Aimee Byrd, Theological Fitness
Jen Wilkin, Women of the Word YouVersion Holy Bible App ChristKirk.com/biblechallenge #Onepagesummer