Mothers Fastened With The Belt Of Truth
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth
Ephesians 6:13–14
There’s a tension I feel between wanting to read the Bible, knowing I should read the Bible, and feeling like my “quiet times” aren’t exactly the picture-perfect Bible study I had in mind. Here are three things that are helping me read the Bible more as a mom with a small child.
Embrace the not-so-quiet time. I try to get up earlier than my daughter wakes up to read the Bible, but inevitably when I do, she wakes up early too. So I may be distracted and I may not read as much as I’d like, but I read with her awake. A great benefit to this is she sees me spending time reading my Bible.
Redeem screen-time. In the morning I usually let my daughter watch a couple of shows, which keep her pretty occupied. I usually sit nearby while she is watching and use that time to read the Bible.
Pick a shorter book of the Bible and read it over and over again. When I don’t have time to actually “study” the Scripture and I’m distracted by my daughter being awake, I have been picking a short book like Galatians or Ephesians and reading it over and over again for a week or two. Some days the whole book, some days half, some days only one chapter. Even if I haven’t done an in-depth study, I have read it repeatedly and it is much more familiar to me. This will help in the future when I do have more time to dedicate to Bible study.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16
Your season of life may look different than mine, but I hope this is an encouragement to read even when your Bible reading time may not fit your ideals. We need to reorient our hearts around the true purpose for Bible reading. Reading the Bible is about having “the Word of Christ dwell” richly inside of us. There are a variety of ways for this to happen. Listen to the audio Bible while you’re driving, read when you’re waiting for an appointment, or read while you’re waiting in the school car line. I am inconsistent with reading the Bible, but I do continue in the struggle and fall short of the glory of God [Romans 6:23]. I pray God will keep me and not let me give up that fight to stay in His Word. For I know God’s Word strengthens me with truth, renews my affection for Jesus, leads me to abhor sin, and helps me to withstand the schemes of the devil. May God help us to read His Word as we journey on the narrow road that leads to life.
Written by Caroline Scott, Church Member