“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8 NIV)
When I first read 'How to read the Bible' (Tim Lahaye), it offered up a three year programme which would ensure the Bible was read through from cover to cover. By reading for a minimum of 15 minutes every day and following his recommended reading schedule, I would have read and in some areas, reread, the Bible fully. Great.......if you are a patient person. As discussed above, this is not the group of students that I fall into. It seemed off-putting almost, that I would have to wait for three years of my life to understand the word of God. That is the longest reading time I have ever come across and I am a speed reader. Reading is my passion, so when I love a book, several days of my life become dedicated to devouring its every page so I can know the ending and then feel satisfied. The Bible however, is not any old book. It is THE book. Therefore, I have to appreciate that this reading, will take time.
Being a new and baby believer, seems to throw some massive hurdles and challenges in my way. For one, it will be many years (three to be exact) till I have read and understood the Bible, it will then be even more till I can quote it effectively. I have a lot to learn and in the past, I have been know to tire easily of anything which requires more than several weeks of learning. That’s why school was a success, further learning was not. I wanted speed and knowledge, not set time to do things and a long weary road to the pass mark. I like instant gratification and today I really started to look at the staircase of learning ahead of me. It was high, so high that it went up past the clouds, which I guess is exactly where this journey will take me.
As I have said in previous entries, this transitional period I am in is challenging my character and my mind. It is forcing me to change some long held patterns of behaviour and also many misconceptions I have of myself and the world around me. The journey is not all pain and adversity though, it is opening up a world to me, bit by bit that is captivating my heart. I'm growing every day and in the right direction, upwards. I think back to the fear, the hurt and the hurdles I overcame in my teenage years and how the lessons learnt there have helped make me who I am today. Although I would never wish to go back through those years, I do appreciate them now, for it was here that my mind was opened and discovery of myself came. It is here, that the small steps became gateways for the experiences I would go on to have now.
I see the walk of faith as very similar to those years. We want to be an adult, to speed up the growth process and do what all the lucky adults get to do with all their independence and freedom. But if we had shot up right then to join the adults, we wouldn't have the lessons of life to help us navigate through our daily existence. It may take me three years to learn the Bible, it may take me ten, but each day offers a new gem, a new lesson that I could only have learnt by taking my time and living each moment slowly. God made us all unique, all different so we could do whatever we were created to fulfil. The only way to find that out, the only way to get closer to Him, is to be patient and take each day for the beautiful blessing that it is.
My lessons will come and my understanding will come, like building blocks and cement they will support each other as the path is built. Why do I need to rush the experience? The beauty is often in the small, the seemingly insignificant. I want to be aware of every moment, of every teaching, of every opportunity to continue to grow. I am beginning to understand that the path into the clouds does not stop, it just puts us in a kingdom where our lessons can be brought to fruition, like in the path of teenager to adult. Once we're out of it we never stop learning, we just have a really great base from which to follow our hearts.
Love Always.x
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