Why Have a Bible Reading Plan & What To Do When You Fall Behind

By: Jenifer Metzger

We are nearly two weeks into 2022. Did you start the year with grand plans of reading through the Bible this year? Were you excited to finally get into the Word regularly? Did you fall behind already?

As with many things in life -diets, exercise, paying debt, learning something new, and Bible reading- when we fall behind we lose what momentum we had and just give up. So today let's talk about why we should have a Bible reading plan and what to do when we fall behind.

Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in Your instructions.
Psalm 119:18

Why should you have a Bible reading plan:

Having a plan of action with anything in life is important, including reading the Bible. When we make a plan for paying off debt, we are more likely to succeed. When we make a plan for exercise, we are more likely to follow through. When we have a plan of action, success is more likely. So having a Bible reading plan helps us to see what our daily action steps -chapters to read- are and helps us to stay on track.

But let's be real, even with a plan, life happens. We get sick so we fall off our exercise plan. We have an unexpected expense so we fall behind on paying off debt. And for many reasons, we can fall behind in our Bible reading.

Tips for when you fall behind:

Double up days. Read two days of reading each day until you have caught up.

One extra chapter. Read just one extra chapter a day until you have caught up. Depending on how far behind you get, it could take awhile, but that is ok!

Jump back to date. Just jump to the current day and begin reading again. You can always go back and read the missing days throughout the year, or just catch them next year.

Pick up where you left off. Go to the last day you read and just pick it back up. It's okay if your plan days don't match up with the calendar days.

Give yourself grace. Reading through the Bible isn't a competition. It isn't about achievement. It is about learning the heart of God and growing closer to our Lord.

Tips to keep on track:

Make a plan. Decide when is the best time for you to read the Word and spend time in prayer.

Divide the reading up. Take your daily reading and divide it up. Read a chapter in the morning, maybe a chapter at lunch or in the school pick up line, and a chapter at bedtime. Your reading doesn't have to be done in one setting.

Find an accountability partner. Accountability is important for many things in life. Find a fellow sister in Christ and hold each other accountable. You could connect through text, calling, or email each day or maybe meet for coffee once a week. Another option is the W2W Morning Reflections accountability groups.

Remember why you're reading the Bible. Reading the through Bible, as we said above, is about learning the heart of God and growing closer to our Lord. When we read through the Bible, we are reading the story of creation, a story of love and mercy, a story of our salvation, and a story of redemption. When we stop viewing Bible reading as just something to check off our to-do list and start viewing it as growing in our relationship and knowledge of the Lord, we become more passionate about actually reading the Word.

Discussion:
1. Have you fallen behind or are you on track?
2. What are your tips for catching up when you fall behind?
3. What are your tips for staying on trach?

Still looking for a Bible reading plan, check out the Woman to Woman Bible plans. Click HERE.

Today I am sharing how having a Quiet Time Basket can help as well. Click HERE to read.

It's time for Share A Link Wednesday! Each Wednesday we invite you to leave a link to your latest blog post in the comments. We still desire to connect women of God with one another and encourage each other in Christ. So grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea, sit back and visit a few blogs. Be encouraged and share your own stories.