Bible Study Blues

Just about this time of year your weekly Bible study becomes an item on your to do list only a little more popular than shoveling snow.

You’re not sure how it happened. Back in September you were excited about the prospect of starting a brand new study. You were even excited about your teacher. Now you hardly have the energy to get your Bible study book out let alone trudge through the elements for yet another week of it.

You’re not alone. Here are some common reasons why Bible study is hard to keep up with:

• You’re too busy. Life is winning this round. You have only so many hours in the day, and you simply cannot fit it in. I get it. I’m busy too.

• You’re too tired. You want to do it. But you’re so tired. You get up a little too late for your Bible study time. You promise yourself you’ll do it before you go to bed. But before you hit the first “thee” your eyes are staring at the inside of thee.

• You’re too bored. You’re 14 weeks into the study, there are about 10 weeks left. You’re still in the same old book. Can’t the teacher do something different for a change? Anything different? Serve us coffee and cake one week instead? You are so bored you can hardly stand it. Of course my mom always said only boring people get bored, but that’s besides the point.

• You’re too unchanged. Your prayer list looks the same. Your problem list looks the same. Your life looks the same. Nothing has changed. You’ve shown up, you’ve done the work, but you’re still stuck with the same old version of you every time you look in the mirror.

What do you do to get over the Bible study blues?

I’ve asked some experts for their opinions and here’s what I’ve found:

• Ask yourself why? No not why is your teacher boring? I mean, why you are trying to study the Bible to begin with?  Is it out of fear? Is it out of duty. Do you think God will bless you more if you show up to church an extra time?

• Ask yourself who? Who are you trying to study? The problem is that some of us have it backwards. We think we’re studying the Bible is some kind of self help tool that allows us to get to know ourselves better. When we revert to a self centered Bible study, we quickly lose interest and hope. And if you’re doing it to impress your significant other or your mother, you’ve missed the who as well!

• Ask yourself how come? I’m talking about change, or lack of it. Go ahead, ask yourself the hard question: how come you haven’t changed? You know more about God and His ways now than you ever did before. So what’s keeping you from seeing changes in your life? Are you hanging on to old habits that give you a sense of false comfort and security? Are you afraid of what others will say? Are you just worried that God won’t meet you there? There’s only one thing worse than not knowing, and that’s knowing and not doing. Don’t be guilty of that!

• Ask yourself really? Really you don’t have time? Really you’re too tired? The truth is that we make time for what we really need and care about. Think about your last true love. It didn’t matter what else you had going, you figured out a way to stay up late and talk. But also ask yourself this: really you haven’t changed? Change is difficult to see in the early stages. Think of it as your height growing up. You never noticed that extra inch you grew until grandma came over and ooh’d and aaah’d over your growth spurt. It’s the same way with godliness. It happens little by little by little.

Don’t give up too soon. God is at the center of His word, and He is at work in your life.

It’s not too late to believe that!

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