When I attended a Catholic
university to get my BA many, many years ago, I was required to take twelve
hours of religious studies. I took
several courses on the Bible, but I remember little of it outside of the more
popular books.
Since then I have tried reading
the Bible on my own on several occasions but somewhere between Judges and Ruth,
I lose interest. After wandering around like Moses in the desert, lost and bewildered
as to how to get this done, I joined a group last year committed to reading the
Bible in 2017.
The leader is a Facebook friend
and fellow writing buddy, but my commitment is not as much to her or the group
as it is to my own belief in God. If the Bible is the book of my faith, I
should be able to proudly state I have read it cover to cover and am familiar
with its contents.
Here I am ten months into 2017
and I have just now finished reading the Old Testament and have started into the
New. Some OT books were lyrical and uplifting; others were drab and
painful. No matter how much I tried I
had a difficult time reading them, much less gleaning a spiritual message from
them.
I am more familiar with the New
Testament – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, so the reading is easier so far. I
have noticed a different tone as well. It will be interesting what my final
assessment will be when I finish and look back at the total endeavor.
So far, I am surprised at
situations in the OT that apply to modern times. We seem doomed to continuously
repeat the same mistakes in our relationship with God, but I also see His unconditional
and everlasting love, His promise of forgiveness and grace through the ages.
Moses and I have a lot in common
as our wandering ends. I see hope at the end of the journey as I seek God.
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