One word: Grace.
Sisters, there is grace for what you’re feeling. Looking at the Bible as a whole and all of Its layers is overwhelming. There is a lot of content. Rather than being overwhelmed by the checklist on your reading plan, be overwhelmed by the immeasurable amount of grace God gifts us - what a beautiful picture of a God who loves you deeply.
Still, we want to give you practice tips to calm your anxious heart. Here are 4 things you can do right now to help:
1. Gain a new understanding about the purpose of the Bible.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” - John 1:1
The purpose of the Bible is God revealing himself to us and showing us His heart. This starts in the book of Genesis and goes all the way through the book of Revelation. When your perspective shifts from seeing the Bible as a “how-to” manual with lists of rules to understanding it as a window into the character of God, then the pressure of reading the Bible fades. Think about reading God’s word as simply sitting down to have a conversation with Him rather than a daunting checklist of reading something that is outside of our ability to comprehend.
2. Take on a humbled posture & pray.
“Humble yourselves , therefore, under the mighty hand of God
so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.” - 1 Peter 5:6-7
Don’t allow yourself to be consumed by the worldly pride that comes from reading the Bible or doing it “perfectly.” Instead, focus on pleasing the Lord. It takes humility to admit your needs and allow others to help you. That’s what our Radiant Sisters community is all about. Pause and pray to God while casting your anxieties of this reading plan (among all other things) to Him, because He loves you and will guide you through to the end. 3. Seek God first & do not consume yourself with tomorrow.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.
Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
- Matthew 6:33-34
Simply put, turn to God first in every area of your life. If we have space to worry, we have space to seek Him. This might entail reading scripture for answers and reassurance, reaching out to our community to seek wise counsel, or praying for peace and guidance. Seek God and you will find Him (Matthew 7:7). It’s okay to plan for tomorrow, but worrying about tomorrow is wasted time. Trust God and His plan and surrender everything else. 4. Extend yourself grace, because God already has.
“My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
- 2 Corinthians 12:9
Sister, give yourself grace. Did you miss a day (or 10) of reading? Grace. Are you overwhelmed by the fear of failure? Grace. Do you feel unworthy to seek His face? Grace. God’s grace is more than enough, it’s sufficient. His grace is sufficient, because God is capable of perfecting His power in our weakness.
We would love to walk alongside you in this journey and pray over you. Click here and scroll down to the “Share Your Heart”. We would love to hear about your moments with God and pray over you. You can also reach out to us or the hundreds of women from around the world on our Facebook Online Community for prayer, encouragement, or to seek some Godly wisdom or counsel. We look forward to hearing from you.
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