i am a bible flipper. i do not know where to find books in the bible. i know the obvious ones, but i can never remember the rest. someone says colossians, i flip. you know, that fanning flip where you go through the whole book hoping and hoping you spot colossians at the top. and then you do it again because you don’t see it. that’s me. leviticus, more flipping. i keep meaning to buy those tabs, but then i would just be scrolling through the tabs.
all this to say, i am not a bible expert. i’ve done bible studies, but i flipped my way through them. i’ve also never been that great at recalling bible verses. i admire the people who have the right verse for every situation. until a couple years ago, i really had no intention of actually memorizing verses. my faith life was not neglected. i went to church. i was involved. i just didn’t know bible verses.
i wish i could remember what inspired me to become more serious about my daily time with God. it was about two years ago. i signed up for daily emails from proverbs 31 ministries. i ignored {deleted} the emails at first. i felt guilty about it, but i just didn’t have the time. here’s a little secret. no one has the time. i had to make the time. it was hard.
i started to wake up before my kids. yes. before my kids. as in really really early. something i swore i would never {and could never} do. i am not a morning person. it is not something i was made to be. but i was made to be faithful and to love God.
last week, i continued to whisper “be” to myself when i felt myself doing the opposite. i was reminded by my daily devotions, however, that there are other things i can whisper to myself. bible verses. sounds a little cheesy right? i used to think so. i really did not think bible verses could help me in my daily life. as I started to actually make time for my daily devotions, I started to write down some of the verses that spoke to me. i had a growing list that was inspiring but a little intimidating. impossible to memorize really. then i memorized just one ::
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17
i’ve written this one on the blog before. it is my go to. when i feel pulled in a million directions and i’m not sure how to handle tasks in front of me, i whisper it to myself. it is comforting in a way that checking off the to do list and completing a project are not {because it gives me peace when nothing around me can}. i think that’s what i’ve found about bible verses. they transcend my circumstances and bring calm when everything around me seems anything but.
recently, i started to categorize my list of verses so they were less intimidating and i finished the job today. i’ve always had them in my reminders app on my phone. last year, i started picking a couple a week and had them pop up on my phone as a reminder. now, they are also categorized according to topic. this is far less intimidating and the reminders app lets me color code. color coding makes me happy.
in my continued quest to just “be,” this week i am working on be-ing faithful. i am still a bible flipper. though i know more verses than when i started, i cannot always remember the exact wording. that’s ok. it’s a process, this be-ing faithful.
psst. do you struggle with anxiety or worry? need a little courage or reminder that God is there? here are my top 5 bible verses on the subject of every day worry and anxiety. put them in the reminders app on your phone. {everyone has it. it came with your phone or tablet.} if you would like a free printable for these verses, subscribe to my email list and comment below with your favorite verse from this list. already a subscriber? just comment. happy be-ing.
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