I've always struggled with consistently reading my Bible. There's usually a long list of excuses that I make when talking about how hard it is to read my Bible - I'm not a reader, time gets away from me taking care of a baby, I'm horrible at reading comprehension, I feel like I've read all the "easy" stuff and should be reading the "meatier" stuff, etc. While on vacation with several families from church last August, Matt Rumbaugh overheard me talking about my Bible reading paralysis and really encouraged me to just start - and to start in the Psalms to really soak in God's character and watch God meet me exactly where I was at. And God did just that. It may not have been perfect, I definitely slacked on some days, but I finished Psalms and more importantly I established a reading habit that was fruitful and grew within me a love for Scripture. Hebrews 4:12 talks about how the "word of God is living and active" and Scripture came alive to me in a way it never has before.

So often in a consumer-driven, give-it-to-me-now society we forget that good for the soul habits take time and disciplined effort to cultivate. For some people reading their Bibles daily is an easy thing and others have to really fight to see the worth in spending time reading their Bibles - I'll likely always be the latter. But now I use the strategy that David used throughout the Psalms to claim God's future faithfulness in my reading. He will be faithful to his Word when I am faithful to pursue it.