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Daily Bible reading. It's one of the best things I can recommend to stay centered. It helps me find perspective. It encourages me, convicts me, gives me hope. I have several generations of Bible readers in my family, so I am blessed in that I have seen many ways to make Bible reading work. The key is to figure out what motivates you, and then use that to your advantage.
My best friend recommends that I read The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin (2017) last year, and it has revolutionized the way I look at motivation. The book lays out the four tendencies, or motivation styles, of most people. There are the upholders, who meet inner and outer expectations (Rubin, n.d.). They just want to know what to do. Questioners meet internal expectations. They need to know why to do something. Obligers meet outer expectations. They need other people. Rebels don't uphold any expectations. They want freedom to do their own thing, the thing that fits for them. (To find out which you are, take the quiz at Gretchen Rubin's website.) What's that got to do with Bible reading? Well, once you know how you are motivated, you can figure out how to get committed to the centering habit of daily Bible reading.
I am an upholder, so habits are fairly easy for me. Personally, I just need a plan, and having itout in front of me keeps me on it. I'm not bragging. It's just the way I am. (And there are some definite downsides to this trait!) I personally use the One Year Bible daily reading plan (n.d.), but there are others just like it that lay out what to read each day of the year. There are even apps that will deliver a daily Bible reading (or daily Bible reading recording) to you each day. Did you know it only takes 12 minutes of reading a day to get through the Bible in one year (Crossway, 2018)? That right there is motivation enough for me to read daily!
But what if you're a questioner? Good question! Find your reason why. I could give you reasons to read the Bible, but you'd probably just question them, so I encourage you to find your own. Once you do, there can be no turning back.
If you are an obliger, ask a friend, partner, or child to join you in daily Bible readings. (Maybe even set aside a daily time to meet and discuss, either virtually or in person?) There are also online communities such as Facebook's Twelve Minutes (n.d.) group that you can join. Just find your people, and read the Bible with them. It might just become a center point in your relationships.
If you're a rebel, decide if you really believe that reading Scripture matters. For that matter, search the scripture to see what it says about your relationship to it. Talk to your pastor. Question close friends. Figure out if this is really for you or not. If it is, do it. If not, figure out your own centering practice.
I am embarking on the centering practice of reading through the Bible once again this year. The habit of reading the Bible grounds my days, and the content of what I read grounds my mind. God always has something new to show me through reading His Word, and I am here for it. Will you join me?
References:
Crossway. (2018, November 19). Infographic: You have more time for Bible reading than you think. https://www.crossway.org/articles/infographic-you-can-read-more-of-the-bible-than-you-think/
One Year Bible. (n.d.). The One Year Bible Daily Reading Plan. One year Bible online. https://oneyearbibleonline.com/daily-oyb/?version=51&startmmdd=0101
Rubin, G. (2017). The four tendencies: The indispensable personality profiles that reveal how to make your life better (And other people's lives better, too). Harmony.
Rubin, G. (n.d.). The four tendencies quiz. Gretchen Rubin. https://gretchenrubin.com/quiz/
Rubin, G. (n.d.). A guide to "The four tendencies" personality framework. The Happiness Project. https://the-happiness-project.com/blogs/tools/four-tendencies-guide
Twelve minutes. (n.d.). In Facebook [Community page]. Retrieved December 28, 2022 from https://www.facebook.com/groups/twelveminutes/.
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