Lent this year was very special. I feel like I’ve accomplished something really cool and yet the last thing I’d want to do is to boast about it. I was encouraged, along with thousands of others, to read through the New Testament this Lent season with Margaret Feinberg.
At first, I was a little daunted at the amount of reading this would entail. I thought, “Well, I’ll at least get though the first half before the “read a book a day” time kicked in.” I’ll admit, I hit a slump in the middle…especially on Friday and Saturdays, but thankfully we had an empty “free day” on Sundays for occasions of “catch-up.”
Over the past 40 days, I’ve had some fun times with new and old friends and had a work meeting that rocked my sense of stability. On the exact day I got some unstable news, the Lent reading for the day was SPOT ON to what I needed. That is no coincidence. The Bible verse that inspired my blog 3 years ago was in there too! Let’s just say with the mixture of raw emotion and encouragement I sobbed like a baby that night.
It’s amazing how God wants to speak to us so much. How He cares about our every day events and our basic needs. The day-to-day grind is not overlooked in the scriptures. Neither is the “top of the mountain” moments that we see every now and then.
It’s surreal how much can happen in just 40 days! Being a writer, I’m going to set my own goal and re-read the New Testament again this year while taking more notes of the basic principles found. I know there are concordances and indexes available, but writing them out on my own can only impress it on my mind even more.
It’s a little sad to end this Lent challenge this year but the good news is HE’S ALIVE and we have Heaven to keep looking forward to! Margaret has also planned out a 40 Day Old Testament reading guide as well as a 40 day Bible reading guide. I will link the page to receive these below if you are interested!
May we see every day of the year as a step towards more intimacy with our Creator. May we open our hearts and Bibles with joy knowing we have a friend in Jesus waiting for us there!
P.s.- If you ever feel daunted by reading Revelation, I suggest reading it in one sitting. I started it and just couldn’t stop. Though at times confusing, reading it all the way through in one sitting helped it to flow better in my mind. Can’t wait to talk to author John about that book one day. Haha!
Mandy, I am so thrilled you enjoyed the #LentChallenge! And love your advice about reading Revelation.
Margaret, thank you again for getting the reading plan together for us! It was a wonderful 40 day adventure in His word!
Thank you for another sweet article and encouragement to get in the Word, even if you are afraid you might bite off more than you can chew.
You’re welcome, Erin! Thank you for reading it! It definitely was a perfect challenge!