How often do you sit down to read the Bible, or whatever Scripture your faith is based on?
I’ve been trying to get back into regular Bible study recently; sitting down to read was one of the first things to slide when my depression started, and once my discipline with that disappeared, my prayer life also lost its foundation and before I knew it, I was turning away from God with all my might, as opposed to leaning into Him. ‘Oops’ doesn’t quite cover it. When I’m reading God’s word daily, I know that my prayer life follows suite and that I am more tuned in and grounded, and therefore making time for this should be a complete no-brainer. Sadly, this has not been the case as like some people, and more than most in all honesty, I can be a bit of an idiot. In the last few weeks, with my concentration still pretty poor, and my ability to grasp new information still suffering, I’ve concentrated on revisiting sections that really caught me the first time round, and finding comfort in passages that spoke so strongly six months ago when I was first embarking on formal scripture reading. It’s getting better, but is still hit and miss, for no reason other than sometimes, I chose that extra fifteen minutes in bed in the morning, or if I’m having a vulnerable day, whipping my NIV out in the hospital library for some quick ‘Jesus time’ in front of my peers, feels like a challenge I can easily turn down, unlike so many of the things I struggle with on a daily basis. I am not good at discipline, at the moment.
When Jesus instructs us on how to pray in Matthew 6, I think His words are also relevant to private Bible study – that it’s best done somewhere safe and quiet, away from prying eyes and questioning faces, the hustle and bustle of communal spaces and the relentless conversations that flow around us in rivers of sound. For those of us with a room of our own, Virginia Woolf style, this should be fairly straightforward, yet I know a lot of Christians don’t quite manage it, myself included.
Yesterday, I found some change to put in the hat of a homeless man I could see up ahead, sitting on the street, in the rain, without a jacket, at 8pm on a chilly evening. What was he doing as people passed him by in multiple laters of clothing, bearing umbrellas and chatting on mobile phones, on their way home? He was reading the Bible. He wasn’t sitting in a cosy chair with a cup of coffee and some classical music on low, in the background like the folks in the café behind him. He wasn’t somewhere warm and safe, getting his reading done before watching the 10pm news and turning in for the night. He wasn’t not-reading his Bible as, that afternoon, he was a little over-sensitive to what people might say or a bit worried that someone would see him with it open in his lap and decide not to drop some money in after-all, and hey, he was hungry and didn’t want to take the risk. He was sitting and proudly, openly, studying the Bible. The rain was falling on the passage he had it open to and I could see that the pages were already crinkled from being damp for days on end. The annotations in the margins were blurred from the water coming down, yet he was still reading on in God’s word, Hebrews to be precise (we had a good chat about it). If he can read it on the streets in a downpour, surely I can read it in a well lit room with a good supply of chocolate biscuits?
I don’t know about you, but I think my Bible reading habits just got a pretty big smack round the ear from a pretty big stick. James 2:5 reads: Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
I LOVE the book of James. I always think he’s such a no-half-measures kind of guy who really puts his money where his mouth is, and walks what he talks, for an extra mile each time. James doesn’t really go in for ‘couldashouldawoulda’ excuses. No empty promises, says James. ‘Maybe-perhaps-sometime-later’ Bible reading isn’t really good enough. NB to blog, words without actions = meaningless, and that includes Bible study – I’ll report back at some point on whether I do gain that discipline – hold me accountable, please.
This homeless man is a whole lot richer in faith than I am. If you’re still reading, why not pick your Bible up afterwards if you haven’t already today? Why not see what unusual places you can read it in this week? It might just inspire someone, like this man inspired me.
This was a great read….and a lesson learned indeed ..look forward to reading more of your beautiful posts ..ELiza Keating
thank you Eliza, hope you are having a lovely day wherever you are!
Char, I really like this post, and the way you described this incredibly rich homeless man. I love the lesson you learned from it, and I have no doubt God was pleased that you stopped to chat and discuss Hebrews with him instead of just walking on by.
I, too, have trouble with the discipline of reading my Bible every day. In June, I started (for the second time) a Bible-in-a-year reading schedule, but I’m already way behind. I missed many days when I just didn’t pick it up. The first time I did a year schedule, it took me 2 1/2 years! Now I’m going through a reading schedule put together for my church for Lent. The daily readings are shorter and I’ve been sticking with it, but I often leave it to the last thing I do before bed.
Thank you for this reminder of how important staying in the Word is, and the visual “slap upside the head” story to help it stick. Peace, Linda
thanks Linda, it’ll be interesting to see how long this new Bible-mad phase lasts! I think lunchtime is my favourite time to read, when I have that little bit of time to myself between sitting in clinics or meeting patients – though I don’t get lunch breaks at the moment so will just have to persevere with doing it over coffee in the morning. A good way to start the day!
I loved your story, mostly because you took the time to be with the homeless man. Twice I was homeless before. I have lived on the streets, in my car, or in shelters. Although I didn’t like my circumstances, I learned a great deal about humanity from living and interacting with the homeless.
Nine years ago my husband divorced me, took the kids away from me, I lost my home, my livelihood, and I lost his family too. For 17 yrs his family was my only family. Two years later I lost my faith too. Now, I am an atheist. I won’t go into details as to why I made that decision. However I did enjoy reading the bible and the many bible study classes I attended for many years; I think it is a magnificent book, a moral compass for humanity.
So keep on reading it. You will surely learned a lot about people and yourself. And if you come across a passage that you don’t fully understand, feel free to ask me anything. After all, people used to come to me for questions because I had studied the bible, and the faith, so much. I used to have a very large bookshelf filled with books about anything to do with the bible and Christianity. XX
thankyou, that’s very kind! I’m sorry to hear you’ve had so many periods of adversity, but the fact you have come so far is testamony to your great personal strength. My Jesus library is growing too (to the intense amusement of my flatmates), and once I’ve finished the John Stott I’ve been ploughing through for a year (so interesting, but he doesn’t really go in for saving words!) I’m planning on reading a decent book on the history of Christianity.
“Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well- warmed, and well-fed.” ~Herman Melville
I am often humbled by those that devote their lives to others and who find so much grace in adversity. I forget how blessed I am to have a family that will do anything for me, for my health, my education, and for this wonderful opportunity to do something with my life to help others.
There is a new movement in “living rich”. It isn’t about how much money you have, it is about how well you live by giving to others and learning to fully experience every beautiful thing around us. This is bodhisattva.
that’s a brilliant quote – may have to stick that one up on my noticeboard!
Bodhisattva – let’s do it!
ah the blessing u send me. thank u for this courageous encouragement to worship. keep on.