An expanded version of this piece appears in print and online for the August 2022 edition of Woman Alive magazine.
Last year I embarked on a project. It was a project to read the whole Bible. I’ve always intended to make reading the Bible a regular practice – fully familiarising myself with it has felt like an important aspect of my Christian faith. I’ve been reading the Bible in parts as long as I’ve known of Jesus, which goes back to early childhood, but now with midlife approaching it definitely seemed like the right moment to read the whole thing. And until last year it remained firmly on the bucket list. I’m not sure what galvanised me to the point of commitment but everything seemed to align this time. I wanted to challenge myself and I wanted to read it for myself. So fed up with bitty soundbites, second-hand knowledge and holes in my understanding; I wanted to grasp the whole ‘gamut of scripture’, and not just take someone else’s word for it.
Aided immeasurably by a reading plan which was bite-sized enough not to intimidate me, and meaty enough to feel like a challenge, I set off. Worth mentioning too is how helpful it was that the plan was laid out in a grid, with daily readings from both the old and new Testament, providing a great balance. I could tick them off as I went which added to the sense of accomplishment. I’m definitely someone who likes to feel that they are ‘getting things done’ and ticking anything off has the psychological effect of feeling like progress.
I’m now only 6 weeks away from finishing the plan and have almost read the whole Bible. I can hardly believe it – it’s so exciting to be at this point. So how’s it been going? Well, I’ve managed to read almost every day. At times it’s felt like a breeze, but there have been plenty of occasions when I haven’t felt like it, and I’ve needed to catch up a few days at a time – no problem. Or when I couldn’t face reading at all I listened to an audio version instead. I’ve had moments of revelation – a sense of the lights going on in my understanding, and moments of emotion as I’ve felt simultaneously confronted and released from things that have been inexplicably nagging at me for a while. I’ve experienced a deep sense of connection with God, and then for days I’ve just read from a sense of discipline, not from inspiration or feeling. Even then I’ve felt reassured that if I show up regularly I’m ‘sowing seeds’ and with that principle in mind I would reap the benefit later. So everyday I have had in mind that I will simply sow a seed, and everything else is a bonus. It’s turned out to be a good strategy with just the right level of expectation for me.
So what has it done for me? Am I a different person, have I changed at all??
I have definitely noticed that I’m reaping some great benefits. Far from tiring of it, my hunger to understand the Bible has deepened, as has my respect for it. There are countless passages and chapters that I had never read before, and there are numerous areas of life and experience that I never imagined the Bible would touch on or have any relevance for. I’ve become much clearer about what the Bible says about certain topics, and how well integrated it is, especially when read together as a whole. I’ve got to know the cast of characters and people of faith so much better, and my understanding of God and how He relates to us has broadened immensely. I’ve been surprised by how clear it is and while I might struggle with what it says, and how to apply it to my life sometimes, it’s not half as confusing as people have suggested. When I get stuck, I pray and a couple of days later things ‘shake down’ and make better sense. I’ve discovered that its understanding doesn’t only belong to the theologians and church leaders, and that they don’t have any sort of monopoly on unlocking it’s wisdom, despite preaching it and studying it for a living. While their learning and insight can help me, there is no aspect of it that is off-limits as I read it for myself. Better still, perhaps I might contribute a thing or two to their understanding! And, far from feeling that my Bible project is over, it’s actually as if my adventure has only just begun.
© Alexandra Noel – All rights reserved. 20th April 2022.
Alex Noel 