One Word

So, I decided to embark on a Bible reading plan this year. It's a plan unlike one I've done before. I’m not a rebel by nature, but I wanted to mix things up.

My Bible reading plan is to read one word every day.

Wait, one word? You mean, one verse? Or, one chapter? 

No. One word.  

As ludicrous as this one word Bible reading plan sounds, it's akin to working out. Once I drive myself to the gym, there's no doubt that I'll work out. After all, I went out of my way to drive myself to the gym. But the toughest part of a workout isn't the actual workout itself; it’s getting myself to the gym to work out in the first place. In the same way, I realized that the toughest part of a Bible reading plan for me is getting started.

How can I enjoy His Word if I am not in His Word to begin with?

For those who don’t know me, I'm a recreational runner. Although I was the chubby kid in 3rd grade who couldn't even run half a mile (and, quite sadly, once barfed at the halfway mark of the mile run), I grew to love running sometime right after college. A few months ago, I decided to try a new kind of running challenge. I asked myself how many consecutive days I could run at least one mile. I recently hit 92 days. I share this not to boast, but to make a point: consistency is MUCH easier when we break things down into smaller and more manageable pieces.

There was no shortcut to 92 days. Those 92 days consisted of 92 individual days that I had to piece together, day by day. Each day was a battle to be won. Each single day was meaningful, even though it might have seemed small or minor by itself. 

Each day, I had to tell myself to take five steps outside. But I knew that once I committed those five steps, there was no turning back and I was certain that I would commit to running a mile. After all, I could not get myself to jog only five steps and then say that I was done with my run. I knew that I was capable of much, much more.

In the same way, I view staying engaged with His Word as a daily battle to be won. Every day, I tell myself to read one word from The Bible. I do this because I know that if I can encourage myself to open the Word and start reading the first word, I figure I might as well further delight in the truth that God has prepared for me that particular day. The invitation to read one word is actually a personal invitation to open the door for a greater hunger for the Word and a deeper relationship with Him. 

One word becomes one verse. One verse becomes one chapter. One chapter becomes one book of The Bible. And, maybe, just maybe, one book of The Bible becomes one turn of The Bible… cover to cover.

But this is so much more than being able to say that I read a certain amount of The Bible. The real reward is in knowing that, just as with any meaningful relationship, I choose to make time for Him even when there doesn’t seem to be time. And, that choice can begin with something as small as one word.