Ninety Days Of Scripture

Perspective.

It's a powerful thing. It shapes the way we view circumstances, people, events, and quite honestly all of life. It's easy to keep the same perspective the whole way through life without even realizing it. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing, changing viewpoints occasionally can result in beautiful outcomes. 

Technology demonstrated this when cameras were able to speed life up significantly. In several seconds, we can now watch a flower opening its petals, the stars traveling across the sky throughout the course of a night, or clouds moving through the sky while morphing and merging in a beautiful dance. This fresh perspective gives us a broader understanding of how things work, and we get a clearer glimpse at the big picture.

Life can be significantly slowed down as well. There are slow motion clips of a bird in motion, raindrops hitting a water's surface, or lightning splitting the sky. Characteristics that are often hidden by the speed of life become more distinct and vivid when viewed in this perspective. 

I think it's beautiful. 

I discovered the reality of perspective when I challenged myself to read through the Bible in two months. But before going any further, it is necessary to disclaim two things. 

I extended the deadline from two months to three. I didn't want to, but I chose a particularly crazy time period to attempt such a challenge. Cramming large quantities of Bible reading into a schedule-oriented voluntary service unit is maybe not the most ideal. So I gave myself grace and decided to aim for three months instead.

I actually paused the challenge for several months. I know. It sounds like cheating. But let me explain. I had started several months before leaving Faith Mission Home. And the closer my end goal came, the closer my farewell date came as well. To get the whole Bible read, I needed to read close to an hour's worth of Scripture every day. This meant pulling away from social life significantly. While it usually wouldn't have bothered me, I was feeling compelled to spend as much time as possible with all the people I was about to leave. Serving at FMH is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I wanted to soak it all up while I could. That completely contradicted my other great compulsion to spend much time in solitude reading my Bible. I had to make a choice because I was getting further and further behind. I had been so determined to actually meet my goal, that I could hardly stand the thought of failing. Someone suggested that I paused right where I was and then pick up again after leaving. It definitely wasn't my preference, but it was either pause or quit. I decided that given my circumstances, God would understand why I wanted to temporarily prioritize relationships over Scripture reading. And I promised myself that I WOULD pick up right where I left off as soon as I moved home. 

I'm really bad at self-discipline, so I hardly trusted myself enough to believe I'd actually get it done. But several days after returning home, I opened again to Ezekiel and finished Ezekiel to Revelation in thirty days. I actually made it. 

In hindsight, I'm so glad that I did it, but I'd like to challenge myself again only this time to do it properly. (And maybe even aim for one month! :-) Regardless, it was such a valuable experience. I think everyone should do it because we spend most of our lives reading the Bible through the slow-mo lens. This is not bad. As mentioned previously, characteristics that are often hidden by the speed of life become more distinct and vivid. Spending extensive amounts of time on one particular chapter or verse is one of my favorite study methods; it's unbelievable how many truths and details can be packed into one or two verses. 

But it was incredibly insightful to change my perspective for several months and read so fast that instead of catching all the details, I was able to get a broader understanding of the Bible and how it all fits together. There were several key takeaways I will list below that impressed me during those 90 days of reading. 

Moses became my new hero.  After reading through the first several books of the Old Testament, I decided that we don't give Moses enough recognition. His relationship with God was phenomenal! I read through the book of Exodus in one day and the more I read, the more I began to understand why. He visited the Lord frequently and intentionally. He put effort and investment into the relationship often spending extended periods of time alone with God; sometimes as long as 40 days and nights. I got to the end of Exodus desperately wishing for the kind of relationship he modeled, yet I also realized that it won't happen unless I am willing to spend extended, intentional time in God's presence. 

Because Moses was committed, I also noted the amount of times that the Lord confided in Moses. As a leader of the Israelites, God told Moses many, many things. Instructions were made, advice was given, promises were relayed. Moses heard things from God that few, if any, other men heard. 

Not only that, but then Moses had the courage and tact to step between God and the Israelites and intercede on behalf of his people (who, by the way, caused Moses much grief at times and weren't always the kind of people one would want to intercede for). And God honored that prayer of intercession. I was blown away! Intercessory prayer is incredibly powerful!

And once, after spending a significant amount of time with the Lord, Moses's countenance actually glowed with His glory so much so that the children of Israel couldn't look at him. (Hmm, so what should we look like after spending much time alone with Him?)

Moses knew the Lord, and the Lord knew Moses. It wasn't for a season; it was for Moses' entire lifetime that spanned through countless tests and trials. Moses became my new hero. 

The reiteration of the laws and God's promises. I have always dreaded reading through the Old Testament because of all the laws that go on and on and never seem to stop. I'd reach the end of one book and think I was through it all. Then I'd start another only to realize they were repeated all over again. And I never understood the reasoning. I don't think that it takes reading through the Bible in three months to discover why, but that's certainly what helped me. The timing of events is always kind of hard for me to judge when reading the Bible because I tend to get so focused on the details that I miss all the dates. And when I started to read rapidly, I understood in a better sense how many years are covered in the Old Testament books. It sounds kind of obvious to say, but I began to understand that the Israelites were simply reviewing the laws year after year to refresh ones that had been forgotten, to remember what they were trying to uphold, and to make sure the law was taught and passed down to their children. In one day I read through multiple dictations of what to do for mold and mildew and sickness and all the rest of those technicalities that used to be such a bother, and I was actually struck with the beauty of communication being passed down faithfully ... even if it wasn't always followed.

Having just read about the exodus from Egypt just a day or two prior, it helped put into perspective that the generation of Red Sea crossers had already died. In one day, I read how quickly they complained and grumbled and how Moses reminded them of their miraculous delivery. But the next, I was reading about a completely new generation who knew only of wandering around in a dry wilderness and were probably questioning their purpose for existence on earth. The Bible could have stated God's promises and His laws once, but I think the repetition is a beautiful witness to God's continued plan for Israel and His promise to send a Savior (among much more). 

Grace and promises.  Technology and cultures change, but humanity never does! We're as messy and broken and sinful as the Old Testament characters who paved the way for God's Son. In working with them, He got angry and frustrated at times. They often messed up. Even my new hero Moses disobeyed God with detrimental consequences. But because of His compassion, because of His grace, and because of His promise, He had mercy and continued to work through broken people. 

The Bible is a story of sin, grace, and salvation. The Bible is a story full of recurring themes and promises. Everything ties together in a beautiful way. Most Christians could tell you that off the tops of their heads, but reading the Bible in a timelapse manner will remind you of this truth in a very real, more personal way. It's well worth every minute of time!

I also did several things during those 90 days that made the challenge smoother and even more enjoyable. 

> I coerced a friend into joining me. It added a level of accountability. Sometimes we read together (and tried not to talk too much). We also spent extended periods of time discussing stories and scenarios that stuck out to us or things we'd never thought about. Questions that we accumulated along the way became great conversation starters in a group setting. I loved having someone to partner with. (I guess I should also admit that she spent most of her time competing with me and being bothered that I was always ahead. No matter how many times I tried to tell her it was NOT a competition, she still felt compelled to view it as a race. So I guess that's one aspect to keep in mind. :-)

> I tried not to read my daily amount all at once because I usually got very discouraged and started questioning my sanity. It was also hard to keep my focus after reading for long periods of time because reading the Bible is not like reading a regular nonfiction book. Most books include dialog and emotions while the Bible is largely facts. Large quantities of facts are harder to digest than large quantities of soft emotions. :-) I learned to carry my Bible with me everywhere I went. If I had a spare minute, I'd read a couple chapters. I was amazed at how much of a difference it made. 

> I had a set amount of pages I aimed to read in a day but when possible, I read ahead. Because even though I had to extend my date to three months, I was still trying to finish as soon as possible. It also helped if I knew I was going to be in a time crunch during the next day or two. 

> Often, I had to remind myself of the timelapse perspective. I am a very detail-oriented person. I love thinking deeply about things and contemplating for long periods of time on one subject. It was hard for me to skim over so many stories knowing that I was missing important details. So many times I just wanted to stop on a story and spend days reading and examining it. But I had to remind myself many times that this was all about the big picture. It was about a new perspective. It was about self-discipline, and before too many weeks, it would be done and I could go back to my slow-mo approach. Keeping my original goal in focus was very necessary. 

There are several things I would do differently if I decide to take on this challenge again. First of all, I would plan better. Of course, we could always argue that there's never a good time in our crazy lifestyles to start a project so involved. (Which is usually a lie from Satan because guess who doesn't want us sacrificing large amounts of time to read Scripture?? ...) But there are definitely better times than others. I should have had the foresight to see that the next three months of my life would be full of endings, beginnings, and transition. I don't regret doing it when I did, but I would definitely take the stage of my life into consideration. I might also choose a shorter time frame; I think it could be even more beneficial than spreading it out over three months' time. And I would take it more seriously. There were so many days during those few months where I knew I needed to read 20+ pages of Scripture but would push it off because it probably wouldn't be that hard would it? That same night would find me frantically reading page after page before bed while it got later and later. (Yes, I actually did that more days than you'd realize.) I was serious about the challenge, but I often didn't take it seriously enough. It means sacrificing a lot of social life and personal projects.  

Perspective.

It's a powerful thing. Everyone has a preferred lens at which they view their world, but a fresh perspective every once in awhile never hurt anyone.