If you’re anything like me, you know the importance of reading God’s Word on a regular basis — but oftentimes struggle staying f o c u s e d. The Bible is so much more than just a chore we need to cross off our list, like doing laundry or flossing our teeth. His Word gives us LIFE. Read Psalm 119 and take in all the benefits reading and obeying His instructions bring: joy, peace, wisdom, salvation, steadiness…. The list goes on and on. But knowing how important it is doesn’t always make it easier to do it. Here are some tips I’ve picked up on how to stay focused when you’re reading the Bible.
How to Stay Focused When You’re Reading the Bible
Pray first
Sometimes this can feel almost like a habitual superstition, like saying “bless you” after someone sneezes. But there is POWER in praying before you get into the Word. Ask God to teach you and help you understand His words to you. David did this all the time in the Psalms, so we can know that this is God’s heart for us.
Write out notes, thoughts, questions, definitions as you read the Bible
This doesn’t have to be anything fancy at all! It can be as tidy or as messy as you’d like. Either way, it’ll help you be more actively engaged in what you’re reading and process it on a deeper level. Lately I’ve been jotting down quick notes in my journal. Sometimes I’ll make a list of ‘What this passage teaches me about God’ and ‘How this changes the way I live.’
Writing notes as I read has been a GAME CHANGER for me.
Don’t read the Bible on your phone
I used to do all my readings on the Bible app on my phone because that’s where I kept all my reading plans and I was too lazy to go pull my Bible off the bookshelf (I know, so ridiculous!). But I’m sure you can imagine how well that works out. Every time I got a notification or my mind wandered at all, all it took was a thumb tap for me to get completely off track. Reading from an actual, physical Bible makes a world of difference for me.
In fact, leave your phone in the other room
Not only did I have to change the medium, but I also have to leave my phone in the other room — or at least keep it away from within arm’s reach. Even when I do this, I still find myself patting the seat next to me looking for it when I get distracted. When I don’t find it right away, I remember that whatever I wanted to look at isn’t important right now and can wait another 30 minutes.
Have a plan for what you’re going to read
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or big. You don’t even need to do a ton of research and agonize over what the plan will be first. I follow the reading plan my church provides. You can pick a single book of the Bible to read through and plan on reading a chapter (or even a few verses!) each day until you’re finished. My main tip is to make sure your reading plan isn’t digital. Speaking from experience, it can be really easy to get on your phone or computer to check your readings for the day and get sidetracked, using up all your time that you could have been getting to know God better (see above point).
I printed out my reading plan and keep it folded in the front of my Bible so that I have everything I need right at my fingertips and less chance of getting distracted.
Listen to the Bible instead
For some people, hearing the Bible can help them stay focused so much better than reading the Bible. I’ve learned from experience that I am not one of those people. But if you’re having trouble staying focused, try listening instead.
Watch Bible Project videos to help you understand the context of what you’re reading
We sometimes forget that the Bible wasn’t written for our modern minds and western culture, and as a result it can be c o n f u s i n g. Try watching videos from The Bible Project on the book of the Bible you’re reading to help you better understand the context.
Make a plan to discuss what you’re reading with a friend
This is another thing that we can make more complicated than it has to be. You don’t even have to be reading the same passages. But just having a date on the calendar to share what God is teaching you in His Word will help motivate you and remind you to pay more attention.
Here’s an example of how to do this using Psalm 119:176 — “Abundant peace belongs to those who love your instruction; nothing makes them stumble.”
Adoration: God, thank You for being the embodiment and creator of perfect peace, and for offering peace to those who love your instruction.
Confession: I confess that I don’t love your instruction like I should.
Thanksgiving: Thank You for Your pricey gift of salvation, offered to me despite the fact that I didn’t love You or Your instruction.
Supplication: Help me to love Your instruction more.
Not only does this help you gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word, but it does wonders for your prayer life as well.
Give Yourself a Change of Scenery
I’ve been having an extra difficult time staying focused during COVID-19 shelter-at-home. I finally realized that perhaps one reason is because my usual Bible reading place (my couch) is now my desk and my leisure place. Sometimes a different scene can give you a different mindset. We don’t have a lot of different locations to choose from in our one bedroom apartment, but I can try our table or bed or even the bench outside our apartment if the weather’s nice.
Listen to Instrumental Music
If you find noises and lyrics distracting, try listening to instrumental music instead! I love this Spotify playlist.
Try a Different Time of Day
There’s not actually an extra holy time of day to read the Bible. If you’re a morning person and love to get up early, read the Bible then. If you’re dead tired at the end of the night, try reading during your lunch break instead. The best time of day to read the Word of God is the time that you will read the Word of God.
Keep Experimenting
If there’s one thing I know, it’s that there isn’t one ideal method that you’ll find that will work for you forever and ever. Keep experimenting! What works for you right now might not work in the next season. Just know that there’s not one perfect way to seek God in His Word, but commit to seeking Him anyways.
Here are some tools I think could help:
Give Me Jesus Journal – This is a great journal to use to take notes as you read the Bible. I’ve heard GREAT things about this journal and am probably going to purchase one for myself.
She Reads Truth Bible (Amazon affiliate link) — If you don’t currently have a physical Bible to read and want to stop reading on your phone or computer, here’s a wonderful and affordable Bible. I have this one in grey linen!
Dwell app – This is a great app for listening to the Bible!
Women of the Word book (affiliate link) – If you feel overwhelmed with reading God’s Word, are questioning whether you really should, or want to take your study deeper, this book is an amazing next step. I think pretty much everyone should read it.
Anyone who has walked out a journey of faith for any period of time knows that there are seasons of abundance in the walk and seasons of what feel like drought. In the season of drought, it’s easy to feel like it goes on forever. You begin to feel like there’s something wrong with you, and the more you feel like that, the less you feel like you deserve closeness with God. Pretty soon you’re spiraling further and further away from Him and the season of abundance feels like a different lifetime, a different you.
Spiritual drought doesn’t have to go on forever. The Father loved you then and He loves you now. He is just as near to you in the season of the drought as He was in the season of abundance. Often, when you’re feeling spiritually dry, all you need is a mindset shift. God hasn’t changed–only your thoughts and feelings toward Him have changed. Here are some steps to take for when you’re feeling spiritually dry and want to get back on track.
Go back to old favorites that have moved you in the past
For me, this might be a book or a worship playlist. I tend to approach life in an extremely cerebral way, so books help me approach God in a way that feels comfortable and familiar, but that isn’t the best or the only approach. Think back to when you’ve felt close to God in the past. Was it at a certain place? Perhaps in nature? Maybe you feel close to God when you’re watching a particular movie. Whatever that is, recreate that. There’s no promise that God will speak to you in the same way He did before. But going through the motions of how He moved in your life before will certainly remind you of His faithfulness in your life.
Play worship music even if you don’t feel like it
My desire (or lack thereof) to listen to worship music can sometimes be the single greatest indicator for where I’m at spiritually. If all the songs sound the same and listening to worship music feels like a chore, it usually means I need to do some heart work. I’m not saying this is true for everyone, but it’s certainly a general truth for my own life. One of the ways that I can open my heart to the work of the Lord is to play music that worships Him even if I really don’t feel like it.
If you’re not used to asking for help, this can feel really scary. But something we see in the Bible over and over again is the importance of community in our spiritual walks. In Western culture, we have this mindset that spirituality is a solo thing. While there is personal responsibility and it’s important to grow as individuals, being in a group of believers shouldn’t be written off. Read any book in the New Testament and you’ll see people praying together.
Try out a new spiritual discipline
If going back to your old favorites isn’t working for you, try incorporating a new spiritual discipline. Maybe you’re really good at praying consistently through the day, but God still feels far away from you. Consider fasting. That’s a spiritual discipline I seldom hear people talking about, and I’m guilty of neglecting it too. Other spiritual disciplines are meditation, confession, solitude, journaling, and celebration, to name a few.
If you’re wanting to learn more about spiritual disciplines, I’ve heard that this book is a great resource.
Consider what is taking away from your spiritual life
Adding new habits and disciplines can certainly go a long way in helping you stop feeling so spiritually dry, but sometimes things need to be eliminated or minimized from your life too. For me, this is (sadly) often television. When I’m spending too much time watching tv, I stay up later than I intend to, which makes it more difficult to wake up and spend time with the Lord. On top of that, many times shows can make me feel discontent with my life. Pay attention to what in your life is making you feel further from God, or making it harder for you to come near to Him. Maybe for you it’s spending too much time with friends, listening to the wrong kind of music, or reading the wrong books.
Get in a community
We talked earlier about how important community is in our spiritual lives. If you’re not in a spiritual community already, be intentional about finding one. Maybe this means finding a church to go to on Sunday mornings, or a community group to meet with on a week night. Maybe it means starting your own Bible study, or asking someone to be your accountability partner. Whatever it is, find some people you can walk with and mutually encourage one another.
Read a Christian Biography
To be honest, it’s been years since I read a Christian biography. There was a time in my life when I read a lot of these and they really expanded my vision of what God can do in and through a person’s life. Perhaps I’ll add a couple to my reading list for the fall, since my summer reading list is all filled up. Some of my favorite Christian biographies are this one and this one and this one. I’ve also heard really good things about this book and this book by Eric Metaxas.
Read your Bible
I list this step last not because it’s least important. Quite the contrary. There’s something about God’s Word that feels really unapproachable and impossible to read when you’re in a spiritual funk. Instead of beating yourself up about not having a passion for God’s Word, let yourself try a couple other steps first. Most likely, a desire for communing with Him in His Word will follow. If it doesn’t, at some point you might need to force yourself to go through the motions.
There’s a fallacy that I’ve often heard from Christians that you should only read God’s Word (or do any other spiritual practice) if you feel like it, otherwise you’re being fake or hypocritical. That’s a really dangerous mindset to have. Sometimes our feelings lead us to God. But sometimes our feelings lead us away from God. It’s important to put fact over feelings. The fact is, when we’re faithful to open God’s Word and seek His truth, He will reveal Himself to us (Matthew 7:7). Our feelings might tell us there’s no point, but listening to the facts is crucial here.
A Final Note
It’s tempting to beat yourself up when you’re feeling spiritually dry. Just remember, God loves you as you are and He meets you where you are. Be patient with yourself, just like God is. If God’s revealed Himself to you in the past, He’ll do it again. Especially if you ask. Don’t give up and don’t beat yourself up. You’ll get through this.
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about vulnerability. As I read this book, I began to see the adverse effects of fighting against vulnerability. It’s tempting to write vulnerability off as weakness, something to be guarded against rather than invited in. But the more I learn and experience life, the more I see how important it is to be vulnerable, especially in the right place and time. Vulnerability is scary, but the genuine relationships, authenticity, and self-acceptance more than make up for it.
You know how we all have those friends who are great at all the things we’re not? For me, that friend is Kristi. She’s an amazing singer, partakes in small talk with ease, makes everyone around her feel safe + comfortable + important. And she’s really good at getting vulnerable. When I decided to get intentional about being more vulnerable, I knew she was the best person to learn from. Her vulnerability with me is the main reason that we’ve been able to have such a great friendship. When she lets me see who she truly is and what she actually thinks, it opens the door for me to do the same. The neat thing is that I also see her interact with other people in this way, so I know that being authentic and vulnerable is a skill she uses frequently.
I sent her a few questions about her journey, and thankfully, she’s graciously allowing me to share her answers here for the benefit of all of you as well. Without further ado, here’s my interview with Kristi about being vulnerable.
Picture Credit: Payton Marie Photography
First of all, so we’re all on the same page, how would you define vulnerability?
I think vulnerability is the deep longing in all of us to be known for who we truly are and so, to be vulnerable is to be who we know ourselves to be when no one else is looking. True vulnerability occurs in a relationship when you not only metaphorically unlock the doors to every room in your “house,” but you turn on all the lights as well. Truly being seen.
I think Merriam-Webster gets it right in saying vulnerability is when you are “capable of being physically or emotionally wounded.” To unlock the doors and turn on all the lights of your soul to someone else puts you very much at risk for two things: love or rejection. I think, for me, the latter is the reason I stayed hidden from the people in my life for so long. The fear of rejection was so great that I never took the risk for love. People all along the way were loving me, but I was so sure that they only loved the version of myself I allowed them to know. I was convinced that if they knew the real me, they would flat out reject me. Putting on a show was my way of making sure I didn’t lose the people I loved, all the while never really letting them love me.
[click_to_tweet tweet=”‘I was convinced that if they knew the real me, they would flat out reject me. Putting on a show was my way of making sure I didn’t lose the people I loved, all the while never really letting them love me.’ #vulnerability #bevulnerable” quote=”I was convinced that if they knew the real me, they would flat out reject me. Putting on a show was my way of making sure I didn’t lose the people I loved, all the while never really letting them love me.”]
Have you always been a vulnerable person? Is it something that comes naturally or is it something that you’ve had to work at?
I have not always been a vulnerable person. In fact, I would say I have mostly been the opposite. I have been a very hidden person most of my life. Hiding does something to you. I think something in all of us knows we are meant to be free, meant to be loved even in our brokenness, but we’ve been told and shown that we need to hide.
I reached a point a few years ago when I knew I had to either bring my whole self and whole past into the light or, honestly, be done with life. Like an animal pacing in its cage at the zoo, I was on the brink of losing it because I knew I was made to roam freely. Like these caged creatures, we all reach a point when we can’t do it anymore. We were never meant to hide, but to be free.
Can you tell us a little about how you came to be more vulnerable?
I’m learning that all the stages and dramas of my story in the past twenty-seven years have brought me so kindly to this place of no longer settling to be who I think people want me to be, but risking to be who I was made to be. Our stories are such kind and beautiful gifts when we agree that with God every bad thing can work for our good. My story involves its graces and its traumas, its victories and abuses, its joys and its sorrows; and I have seen how each one has put in me the will not to hide anymore.
I was sexually abused as a little girl, and I waited breathlessly throughout my childhood for someone in one of my friendships, mentorships, family, or church to tell their own story of abuse. My fear was that I was the only one. “What is wrong with me?” became the ever-ringing anthem in my ears. I was asked to keep quiet and so, quiet I was, terrified that if I spoke up it would all be confirmed as true: “something is terribly wrong with you.”
The deepest heartache of secrets and wearing costumes is that it keeps the fear alive even when people truly love you. The voice cries out, “no one really loves you,” and as far as you know, no one really does because you know deep down that no one really knows you. I carried my secret for sixteen years. Sixteen years is a long time to keep quiet. Sixteen years is a long time to keep all your relationships at a distance. Sixteen years is a long time to believe the lie that no one really loves you.
These years of quiet, though the darkest and most painful, were in fact the very means that brought me to the land of the vulnerable I now inhabit. One time I let our once satisfied indoor cat into the outdoor world, and she spent the rest of her days crying at the backdoor. Similarly, I believe those who were once “caged,” upon tasting freedom can never return to satisfaction with the way they once lived and existed.
I think you have to know what it feels like to hide to truly appreciate freedom. Though I don’t bless what I experienced as a little girl, I do bless the God who has worked it for my good. I am who I am today, the free and wild soul with hopes of walking with others into their own freedom, because of the hiding I lived in for all those years. All things for good, I truly believe.
Have you ever regretted being vulnerable?
Because I remember how dangerous hiding was for me, vulnerability almost feels safer. Yet, I have felt the sting of being vulnerable with people too soon. I’ve brought very dark parts of my soul to the light expecting to be met with love and understanding, only to feel misunderstanding from the soul across from me. These moments have taken their swing at me and I have my share of bruises, but I’ve realized two things.
First, I’ve learned that even if you are secure in who you are, you don’t need to share everything with everyone you sit across the table from. This seems like practical advice, but if you are an “all or nothing” person like myself, this is a necessary lesson to learn. I used to write off the people as “untrustworthy” who didn’t respond to my vulnerability the way I thought they should. Now I’m learning that some people take time, and our expectations of how someone should respond don’t get to be determinate of what kind of a person they are.
The second thing I’ve learned is that almost all the time, a person’s response to what we share is more about them than it is about us. The degree to which we’ve come to terms with our own stories is the degree to which we are able to receive others’. I recently shared my story with a newer friend and her response, far from compassionate, was emotionally charged. I could see all her walls go up. I understood that my vulnerability triggered something in her own story that she was not ready to face yet. Understanding that people’s responses to my vulnerability are less about me and more about their own baggage has been extremely helpful in how I navigate through my relationships.
How has your life gotten better from being more vulnerable?
Being vulnerable has changed everything for me. I used to wonder if people would love me if they really knew me. Now, because I bravely took a step toward vulnerability, I know that people actually love me for me. They love me when I’m killing it and when I fail them. It’s been the experience of being loved in my failures and broken promises that’s finally broken down the walls of hiding that used to promise me safety. I know I am safest when I am known, and there’s no going back for me.
How does vulnerability tie into your art as a songwriter?
I wrote the song “Even This Sadness” at the very beginning of my journey into vulnerability. I thought I had written it for a friend, but later realized it was really the song I was singing to my own terrified soul. As I walked out of my years of hiding into being known, I isolated myself because of my fear that I would be abandoned and rejected. This isolation caused deep depression that left me with two choices: continue to hope and walk forward through the pain, or end it all because hiding is no longer an option for me.
This song became my anthem during this season, continually calling me to the hope that even my sadness is not strong enough to separate me from the love God has for me. To all that hear this song, I pray that you keep hoping, keep lifting up your head, and keep placing your feet on the ground morning by morning with hope that comes only from Jesus–that you are loved no matter what you’ve done or has been done to you in your story. There is more and He works all things, even our hiding and sadness, for good.
Going from the forest of hiding into the clearing of being known can be a terrifying thing. This song was in response to that.
A Final Note
A huge thanks to Kristi for being willing to share her heart with us. I hope that you guys were able to learn as much from her as I have. If you guys would like to follow along with Kristi, you can find her website at kristiheppmusic.com and her YouTube channel here.
Leave a comment and let us know how vulnerability has influenced your life.
Hi, I’m Kelsey! I live in the DC area with my husband and two cats. I currently spend my days working from home, reading all the books, and enjoying home life in our new-to-us 1940s condo. Read more about me here.
