Entry 13: Genesis to Revelation
Happy New Year everyone! It’s 2026! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and I hope that you feel refreshed and joyful as we head into January.
Throughout my posts this year, I’ve told you about my journey to read the Bible from cover to cover, Genesis all the way to Revelation. For me, this was a HUGE challenge to take on, because I love starting new projects, but I’m horrible at finishing them. But on December 31st, sitting next to my best friend Milli, we finished reading the Bible together. Cover to cover. Word for word. Why did I decide to do this? A couple different reasons.
First of all, I just wanted to know I could do it. If I could read through the entire Old Testament, maybe it wouldn’t feel so daunting to read it the second time. Secondly, I was coming out of a rut of struggling to read my Bible, and I wanted to set a goal that would encourage me to spend time in the word every day. I did NOT read my Bible everyday this year, and there were times I really struggled to sit down and read, but having a clear goal for my Bible reading helped encourage me to brush off the bad days and get back into it. Finally, I had a desire to grow deeper in my knowledge, to gain greater understanding of the Bible and of God, and reading the whole Bible was the first step towards doing so. Starting at the beginning gave me opportunities to read stories I’d never read before, make Old and New Testament connections, and be utterly amazed at how specific and detailed God’s word is.
Reading the Bible this year was an incredibly transformative experience as well as a completely ordinary one. It didn’t “change my life” per say, but it added to my continual journey of formation in Christ. It wasn’t a monumental event, but a steady practice that helped me to slowly (but surely) overcome my apathy for God’s word. It helped me to fall in love with scripture all over again. And looking back, there is so much that I took away that I want to share with you all today.
All you have to do is try.
It’s ok if you’re not sure where to start, how to read the Bible properly, how to handle questions and complicated topics, just start. Just start and the resources, the clarity, the excitement will come.
2. It’s ok to read the Bible differently in different seasons.
At many points this year, I really struggled with feeling guilty that I wasn’t going as deep into the Bible as I probably should be. There were many points (especially in the Old Testament) where I was just reading and sometimes even skimming. There were periods where I could sit and read the Bible for hours, and periods where it was so hard for me, I had to re-listen to the audio version over and over again. It’s ok to have those moments, and continuing to read the word (in whatever way you can) will help you to overcome the more difficult seasons.
3. You can’t do it by yourself.
If this year has taught me anything, it’s that God puts people in your life to help point you back to Him. I’m incredibly grateful for my friend Milli, because she was the one who convinced me to take on this challenge with her. We both chose different Bible reading plans, read our bibles in very different ways, and spent most of the year 900 miles apart, but having someone in my life to encourage me, share in my struggles, and look to as an example changed everything. On the last day of 2025, reading the Bible next to her, I realized how much Milli played a part in my relationship with God this year, and how having her as an accountability partner helped me to make it to the finish line.
4. Bring God into it.
The point of reading the Bible is not to gain theological knowledge, it’s not to learn how to live a happy and prosperous life, and it’s not self-help. It’s to know God, to better understand his character, and to grow deeper in relationship with Him. You can’t do that without bringing God into your Bible reading. Pray before you read, pray after, ask Him your questions out loud, look for signs of His goodness and light in scripture and in your own life.
5. The Bible should transform the way you live.
Almost the whole time I read the Bible this year, I was very focused on the quantity I could read so I would finish in a year. Butas result, I struggled to go deeper into passages, reflect on them, and look for God in every word. I realized that instead of measuring how MUCH I was reading, I had to measure how it affected my life. While simply reading helped me to read more, if I sat in one passage for much longer, taking notes and praying through my questions and my thoughts, I walked away with a mind set on the Lord, and that had a ripple effect on my life.
Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful that I read my Bible this year. And the biggest reason, is because I love God’s word again. And even though I still have so much to learn, so many areas to grow, I have this desire growing in my heart to spend more and more time in the Word of God and with God Himself. As we head into the new year, I want to encourage you, in any way that you can, to open up your Bible and spend time with God. And whether you want to read the entire Bible in a year, or maybe just a couple chapters, God wants to speak to you through the words of His book. The best thing you can do is start, to try, even when it’s hard or you don’t really have a desire to. Don’t compare yourself to anybody else and wake up every day trusting that God’s word is enough to transform your life. And even on the hardest days, I promise you this: It’s worth it.
