What if I don’t feel like reading the Bible?
What if it feels stale and boring?
What if I’ve read the words before and didn’t get anything from them then?
What if I’m too frustrated with God to really listen anyway?
What if I just don’t want to?
Photo Credit: Flickr User geishaboy500, Creative Commons
Sometimes I forget that the BIble is meant to be enjoyed.
Lately I’ve started to do something I had, for whatever reason, not really thought of before. I enjoy food; at times more than I should, even. So occasionally I’ve started to read the Bible while enjoying some food that I love–chocolate or cake or some other sort of dessert. (I have a massive sweet tooth. Sugar. Yum.)
In his book Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller writes:
“We would eat chocolates and smoke cigarettes and read the Bible, which is the only way to do it, if you ask me. Don, the Bible is so good with chocolate. I always thought the Bible was more of a salad thing, you know, but it isn’t. It is a chocolate thing.” (page 47)
For a long time now, I’ve treated the Bible like it’s just a salad thing–or something to not really be enjoyed at all. Studied perhaps, or used for guidance or comfort, read out of obligation because I’m scared of what will happen if I don’t–but not enjoyed.
Eating while reading the Bible is by no means a perfect solution. There’s a lot in there about bodies being temples and how it is good to take care of them, which is something I don’t do very well at all, so eating a hunk of chocolate or cake every day while I read the Bible would simply not a responsible choice for me. But occasionally, right now, it serves as a reminder of what the Bible really is.
Good.
Til next time…
~Brianna!~
p.s. How do you enjoy the Bible?
The Art of Becoming 
Excellent idea Brianna! I normally drink a mug of tea while reading bcuz it’s early and I love tea…but maybe next time ill indulge in a little chocolate 🙂 I am reminded of Psalm 19:9-10…
That passage fits perfectly! Thanks for the reminder, Nicole.
How = With coffee, in a favorite coffee mug, in a comfortable chair. I think I’m like a lot of readers — I have several copies of the Bible. A study version with notes on history. A three-language New Testament in English, French and German. A couple of years ago I got the “Green Bible” edition which highlights some cool verses in green print. More important = what am I looking for? I’ve been putting myself in the shoes of different people — each character of the story, an observer, the narrator, or a person hearing the story for the first time a generation or two later. What motivates the narrator to tell this story and write it down?
Love the idea of putting yourself in the shoes of different people. Thanks for reading!