My Journey with The Lord
Making the Bible My Own Reading Journey
When I first received the Lord in my heart, my spiritual mom suggested several things to help me in my spiritual growth. Of course, her first admonition was to read the Bible daily – hopefully, first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. She suggested that I pick certain scripture verses that “spoke to me” and to meditate on them throughout the day. As I read through the Bible, she reminded me that it’s MY book and I needed to make it personal to me. That meant I had permission to mark it up – underline, highlight, turn the pages down, write in the margins, and write key verses and their dates in the blank pages at the back of The Book.
Twenty-two years later, I am still following her advice. There was one more key suggestion for reading His Word. When a scripture verse really “hit” me, she encouraged me to write the date above that verse and perhaps write a key word like faith, promise, or why it was so important to me on that particular day. She also suggested that I look up that key word in the Hebrew or Greek. Those dates above these verses have been a mirror to my soul and spirit. Perhaps it was a struggle I was facing or maybe it was a truth that rang true and filled me with confidence in God. You would be surprised at the number of times I’ll be reading the Word and come across a note from 10 years ago and be reminded about how faithful God has been in my life. It builds my confidence for today’s challenges. Our pastor says he crosses out the I, we, or you and puts his own name in there – especially for promises.
Begin a Personal Journal
Perhaps THE most beneficial suggestion from my spiritual mom was to begin a personal journal. My journals aren’t the pretty little diaries that book stores sell. My journals are bought at the grocery store in the school and office section. They may not look like much, but they are treasures to me. I begin my day with my coffee, my bible, and my journal. Sometimes I wake up with a word from the Lord, sometimes it’s a dream, sometimes it’s when I woke up in the middle of the night and a verse I just know He wants me to read, or perhaps it’s just my struggles (or those of my family’s) that I faced the day before. I pour my heart out to the Lord in this way. I write what I’m feeling, what my needs are or what I want from Him. I also record my love, my worship, my thanksgiving, and my own praise reports of His faithfulness in my life. Over the years, the Lord has spoken to me directly and I record it in my journal. Those times are posted in the My Daughter category. Finally, I record key verses that hit me that day and perhaps my bible study on that key verse with its application in my life or problems I am facing. One other thing, at the front of my journal, I keep a couple of blank pages. I record dates and key items there for easy tracking – kind of like an index of praise for the season for that particular journal.
My Progress is Measurable
These two practices, of making my bible my own and writing in a personal journal, have become my lifeblood – or to put it more accurately, HIS life in me. As mentioned above, my Bible has His recorded promises and the dates. My journals are a life’s testimony of my journey with the Lord.
