Shirking and Slacking Into the New Year

Most of us who claim to be followers of Christ would, I assume, nod in agreement with the following statement:

Reading the Bible is important.

I'm also guessing that many of you, when hearing those words, react the same way I do.  I squirm a little and lower my eyes, feeling a little like I did in high school when my homework wasn't done, hoping the teacher wouldn't call on me so I wouldn't have to admit it.

Because few of us, I'm guessing, actually read God's word the way we'd like to, or think we should.  Some of us hardly know how to begin.  And here' s the thing--as rich and beautiful and life-giving as Scripture is, it really isn't the easiest book to just pick up and plow one's way through.

We read most books, beginning at the beginning, and Genesis is a fairly easy entry point.  In its pages we find the account of the creation, and the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph--all the heroes from childhood Sunday School lessons.  Exodus continues with the heroic story of Moses leading God's people out of Egypt.

And then things start to get a little weird.  There are pages and chapters and books filled with laws and sacrifices and judgments, of kings and battles and prophecies.  I have a hard time figuring out and keeping straight who the Moabites and Ephraimites and Assyrians were, and why they even matter.

Yet, Proverbs 30:5 tells us that every word of God is flawless.  In Isaiah 55 God says, my word that goes out from my mouth..will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.  So I am convinced that it all matters.

I've often told women in my church that finding a good Bible reading plan is a lot like finding the right diet.  You've got to find one that works for you.  Fellow blogger Amy Sullivan wrote recently about her journey through The One Year Bible.

I've read through scripture several times, but have never been able to do it in a single year.  The first time through, I simply plowed straight ahead in my red-letter edition King James.  I was in college at the time and probably preferred reading rules for levitical priests about examining mildew, to just about anything else assigned in my textbooks.

A couple of years ago, I came across an article by Margie Haack at Ransom Fellowship titled, Bible Reading Program For Shirkers and Slackers.

Admit it--you like it already, don't you?

I have been a fan of Margie's writing for many years, keeping several of her clips in my "Gee, I wish I could write like that" folder.  Her account of trying and failing to persevere in reading through the Bible is hysterical,  And so real.  Many of you, I think, will identify with her efforts.

The Shirkers and Slackers program is divided into seven sections so that, on each day of the week, you read from a different section of scripture.  There are nifty check boxes so that you can keep track of your progress.  Margie has written an updated piece about the Shirkers and Slackers program over at The High Calling, so I encourage you to stop over there to read her description.

At first, I thought skipping around to different places in the Bible would be disjointed and confusing.  What I found, however, was that reading in this way helped me to see how different sections of the Bible referred back to one another and connected.  And, I was often surprised to see that the passage on my daily checklist spoke directly to what I needed to hear that day.  This year, the day before Christmas found me finishing the program in the book of Malachi where I read of the One risen with healing in His wings.

Almost as though it was foreordained.  Or as if the Word of God were living and active.  Or something.

I have now worked my way through the Shirkers and Slackers program three times.  Maybe four.  I tend to lose track of things, which is why having all those little check boxes is helpful for me.  I can't say that each day that I come to God's word is an epiphany.  There are days when I simply read, check off the box, and walk away.  But.

Continuing to read, continuing to survey the landscape of the entire Bible has been an amazing journey for me.  I may not always understand what I'm reading, but I trust the Spirit to breathe life into the words on the pages and reveal what God intends for me.  And, the more passages I make through those pages, the more familiar the landmarks become to me.  I revisit old friends as I return to the accounts of biblical characters.  I become more comfortable finding my way through their neighborhoods.

But the best part of this program, for me, is that it recognizes that I really am a shirker.  And a slacker.  There are days, weeks sometimes, that go by when I neglect God's word.  Rather than condemn myself and quit, however, I'm able to pick up my checklist, breathe a sigh of repentance, and simply begin again.

Which, to me, feels an awful lot like living the Gospel.

Happy New Year, dear friends.  May you find a plan that invites you to drink deeply from the living waters this year, and keeps you coming back for more.

As for a diet plan, you're on your own there.