Mother’s column: Why “one year through the Bible” helps this mother
Reading through the Bible in one year creates discipline. Photo Unsplash, Aaron Burden
Christian Life
As a mom, my good resolutions in January usually have to do with motherhood. My choice this year helps me more than the others.
For this new year, I decided to read the entire Bible in one year.
I wanted to know whether I could do that with all my commitments. But I knew that being in touch with God’s Word as much as possible would also help me in motherhood.
This weekend, we are halfway, and I can take stock.
Reading the Bible on a schedule helps me be more disciplined, which has a lifelong benefit. It does not mean that I have never missed a day or that I am not behind on some days. But it is a commitment that I know I have and a time that I know I want to devote to this path. It helps me be disciplined in other areas of life as well.
The program I have chosen includes a reading each day from:
- the historical books of the Old Testament,
- the reading of a Psalm,
- a passage from the Gospels, and
- a passage from an Apostolic letter.
I like this formula. It gives me a complete view of God’s plan of salvation each day. I often see the promises of the Old Testament fulfilled in the New Testament by reading them in parallel. That is encouraging for my life as a mother. It helps me to stay grounded in God’s promises even when I doubt and am uncertain or fearful.
Reading the OT is often exhausting. There are long stories, many names, and facts, and finding an immediate message for personal life is difficult.
However, when I step back and look at the first half of the Old Testament, which I have now reached with an overview, I have learned something fundamental for my life as a mother.
The stories of Old Testament characters are often messy and full of imperfections, sins, failures, moments of discouragement, fear, and stress.
When you look at the lives of the patriarchs or even King David—whom the Lord considered a man after His own heart—you see a wide range of human imperfections.
The biblical stories are often confusing, but I am learning that the Lord does not need perfect performance to carry out His plan. He does not require it because He knows we are only creatures fallen into sin. History exists only because of His support and His will.
This perspective does not discourage me from improving as a mother and a Christian. It rather reassures and comforts me that all my activities are in God’s hands and do not depend on my limited abilities.
Another thing that has greatly encouraged me is the difference between the two types of biblical characters. All are full of weaknesses and frailties, but the consequences vary between those who have given themselves to idols and those who have remained faithful to God.
The greatest temptation in a mother’s life is to rely on various idols in times of trouble. Idols can be of all kinds, even in one’s ability to handle different and difficult situations well. However, an overview of the biblical story helps us see how dangerous it is to give in to idols in our lives and how fruitful it is to remain faithful to God instead.
Unlike the characters in the Old Testament, we see the promise of a Saviour already fulfilled. This helps me look at my life as a mother from a different perspective. It is indeed full of imperfections, but by staying faithful to God and not entrusting my problems to other vain idols, I can enjoy peace and serenity in Christ.
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