Encouragement!

So I have been thinking a lot lately about how we - well at least me- LOVE to be encouraged!  Encouraged in adoption, being a mommy, being a wife, being a God Follower, being our best for HIS SAKE.

I wanted to share my heart on something that I really really feel is very important.  READING YOUR BIBLE :)

So now that some of you may be shaking in your boots already....let me share my story of how I came to really start reading scriptures.  It actually started with a bloggy friend not that long ago.  You see I have read the Bible through.....once.  I have on and off started and stopped....... been frustrated... told myself there are some complicated parts so skip those.... made the excuse of not enough time..... oh well- started the year off great, but now am too far behind so just give up.....AGAIN .....and well a lot of other excuses.

I think it has to do with the fact that we don't really understand God and it seems so well you know "a big idea" to comprehend and we give up.  DON'T!  My bloggy friend suggested that she was going to start reading the Bible in 90 days.  I gulped at the thought of 90 days when I hadn't in a whole year for a long time.  Something inside me though said - oh come on if you have others doing it too it will help you......so I DID IT!  Well, ok not in 90 days, but in about 120.

There were days when I didn't want to- that is my flesh talking here!  There were days when I struggled with the meaning!  BUT when I had finished those 120 days I knew for sure I should never stop reading through the scriptures EVER!!!!  I am not just talking doing your Bible Studies with the other people in your groups- not that it is wrong in fact it is most definitely GREAT.  The problem is if you are not reading through ALL that God wants you to know and hear.  You can't begin to understand what you don't even read or pray over.

In the last year and then some I have gained sooo much more now that I have already read it.  Now when reading it is more familiar.  When I read certain passages that are not "common" they are not hard for me to read through because I have read them before.  Now they seem well at least readable, and I am getting little nuggets of what God wants me to hear from Him.

So here are some Bible reading hints from me to you!
1- Pick a plan.  There are tons!!!  Search the internet you can read chronologically, the "old fashion" way, or there are plans that do different "sections" for different days of the week.
2-  Don't be afraid to FAIL.  Yes I said FAIL!!!  It is ok to miss....you are not going to get an F on this test unless you don't do anything.  So WHEN you FAIL.....take a deep breath and start back in where you left off.  Remember if it takes you 4 years to read the Bible through at least you are doing it!!!!!!
3-  Pick your spot & time!  Like anything we really like to do (like blogging).  It works best if we have a time that we usually blog or usually do laundry, etc.  Do you like to read from your computer, or from an old family Bible, or one given to you as a gift?  Stick to it :) as much as possible.
4-  PRAY!  For those of you who may be like me and not be an expert on Hebrew, Greek, and word origins- yeah.....well I rely on lots of prayer and study notes to get me through.  Sometimes it takes time to truly understand, but WOW oh WOW is it worth it!

If you would have told me a few years ago that I would look forward to Bible reading time...yeah, wouldn't have believed you, but I do!  I am no where near perfect....I miss days......I still don't get a lot of why did God say this or what does this have to do with my faith kinds of questions, but I keep plugging away.  And you know what some of those things are being answered bit by bit.

Also if you like to journal- do it!  It will help you even more :)  So BE ENCOURAGED!!!!!!

***And just for fun take a highlighter and highlight how many times in the Bible it talks about orphans and widows......yeah that will wake you up to how serious God wants us to take our job of caring for the poor and needy!  :)  Also things like anything to do with wife, mother, family in general.  There are just sooo many things to learn :)