You can keep the twenty

Many years ago, my Grandma Cnossen bought me a Bible. It was a children's NIV, with a picture of Jesus with kids and a lamb on the front and some pictures here and there of some of the more well known stories, like the Garden of Eden, The Flood, etc. When she gave me this Bible, she told me that if I read through the whole thing she would give me $20. That was a lot of money to me at the time and I always kept that deal in the back of my mind, thinking one day I would take her up on it. Unfortunately I never actually did it.

Until now.

In August 2005, I found a schedule for reading through the Bible chronologically. One reason this appealed to me is that it intertwines David's life with the Psalms, and the kings' reigns with the prophets who tried to advise them. So I started with Genesis on August 17, 2005. I told myself I wouldn't hold myself to a rigid schedule - if I missed a day, that's ok, read it whenever. I didn't want to be a perfectionist about this or legalistic with myself. That would have been the surest way for me to quit the process entirely. Little by little I read a bit here and there when I didn't have anything else to read.

Fast forward to a couple months ago (February-ish 2007). I picked up my Bible again, this time reading more often. A few weeks later, I started reading two days worth of text per day, every day. Then I made up a schedule to see if I kept reading two days per day, when could I finish the whole thing? Early July is what I came up with. Then I said to myself, can I finish by the end of June? If I read two days sometimes and three days other times, yes, I can finish by the end of June. So I made a calendar listing what I am going to read each day and I'm keeping track of the books I complete as I go.

Yesterday I read the book of Amos, and I am on track to finish the entire Bible June 29, 2007. On July 1, I will start over at the beginning to read it again by the end of December. I no longer care about the $20 that Grandma promised me - she's with our Lord now, probably chuckling over this. What I have learned and will continue to learn through this reading is worth far more to me than the money ever could be.