by S.L., University of Texas

I grew up with faith, prayer, church and fellowship, but I never really committed myself to reading the Bible because it seemed so intimidating. When I came to college and started meeting with Christians who genuinely loved reading the Word, I was so inspired that I found the courage to try reading it myself. I started by reading through the New Testament (the Old Testament was still too scary) and enjoyed it. Even forcing myself through without digging too deep, it touched me, and I found that I too loved the Word and wanted to read it again. The second time around, I really felt a change in my spirit. I set aside two times every day and read straight through the Old and New Testaments in less than a year. There were many days when I felt like I didn’t understand the literal or spiritual meaning of what I was reading, but I told myself that at least I was “redeeming the time.” Chronicles took forever to read, Job went on and on, and I thought Ezekiel was weird. I found the Bible confusing and sometimes condemning. In some ways, it was what I was afraid of, but it was also much more than I had hoped for. Verses I didn’t intentionally memorize just started pouring out of me when I was praying or talking to someone about God. Things that didn’t mean much to me when I read them would randomly occur to me later and have a very personal, sweet meaning. When people came to me looking for comfort or advice all I could think of was verses. I might not have known the exact wording or location in the Bible, but I knew that they were there and that they were the truth. I began to understand what it means for the Word to dwell in you. I had more courage to speak to believers and non-believers because I knew I had grown closer to the Lord and that, Bible in hand, I could share His Word. The best part was how much I loved it. I longed for the Word, was hungry for it, felt empty if I missed a day, and ran to my Bible for comfort. The fact that I couldn’t understand with my mind forced me to contact God in my spirit, and He revealed more and more of Himself to me through His Word. I never understood why people read the Bible over and over but now I see that since we have a Living God, His Word is also living. Every time we come to the Bible in faith, we gain a new experience with Christ. By reading His Word I opened up to God, and He was faithful to reward me with more of Himself.