How I Failed at Reading the Bible in a Year

I started out reading the Bible from cover to cover this year. I found a website that offered several ways to accomplish this, chose the format that fit me best, and started reading. Throughout the first few months, everything was going well. I was reading the required number of chapters and learning a LOT of information. Then life happened. Nothing major, mind you. I just suddenly became a lot busier and a lot more fatigued. Suddenly, it got harder and harder to focus on the reading every day. I made it all the way to Ezekiel chapter 27 before I hit the wall. I remember that it was Ezekiel because I had a Reading the Bible in a Year Header on this Blog.

"What header?" you ask. Exactly. I took it down because I was becoming more and more embarrassed at the fact that it was not moving because I was not reading anymore. Now don't get me wrong... I was still studying the Bible on a consistent basis. But I couldn't focus on everything that was going on at work, the excitement of writing for the blog, spending quality time with my wife and son, and everything else that was happening in life; and keep up with my allotted number of chapters that I needed to read on a daily basis. So I let a couple of days go by; promising myself that I would make them up at my next reading. But then one missed day turned into one missed week. Then one missed week turned into two missed weeks. Then my little header tracking how much I had been reading turned into that condescending look of disapproval that told me daily that I was not doing what I was supposed to do. So one day, after looking at it for the one hundredth time and feeling bad for not reading yet again; I decided to officially throw in the towel. I gave up.

I do realize that this will probable kill the stellar impression that you have of me. I know you thought that I was perfect, but I'm not. I started something wonderfully at the beginning, learned something new about God every day, and then got tired. And I gave up. I'm not proud of it...but it's the truth. I failed at reading the Bible in a Year. I'm truly sorry. And I regret it. BUT... I do realize that I did learn a lot of information. And I was exceptionally blessed by what I did read. So I'm going to go back and start it up again.... after while.

Why am I telling you this? It's kind of like a movie I saw called "The Truman Show", starring Jim Carrey. It was a about a man whose entire life's story was filmed for a television program without his knowing about it. Every moment of his life: from the time he woke up, until he went to sleep..even while he slept was filmed. The viewing public watched him literally from birth until the end of the show. I won't give away the ending just in case you have not seen it. But it's the watching him grow part that is relevant to this particular story. Just like the character Truman, I want you to see me as I grow in Christ. As I said before, this blog has a life of its own. I am along for the ride as much as you are. But I want you to see me as honestly as I can present myself without embarrassing my wife. That's why I don't use other people's real names when I post. They didn't ask to be on the blog. I did. So I will be as honest as possible with you by showing you my many successes and my many failures. For the record... this one counts as a failure. But I will eventually read the Bible in a year. Hopefully you will be here to watch.


Peace and Love,

Rev. Mike






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