Cam Hyde

I thought it would be easy and I thought it was probably much simpler than we make it, but I thought wrong. When I decided to try and read through the Bible in 90 days, I was ignorant to the challenges that it would pose. Now that I’m almost half way through, I’d love to share a few things I’ve learned along the way.

You’ll Start Strong

Getting going in Genesis seemed easy. I began on February 1st, I had a plan printed and I started reading. I started strong. Life wasn’t too busy in February and I had time. I’d seen other people do it and it sounded easy. Genesis is engaging as well so it helps you to want to keep reading.

However, things really shifted for me when I hit Kings and Chronicles. Repetition and genealogies abound. Life will also get busier at times and finding that space to read gets harder. Your resolve weakens. But keep going!

Switch it Up

It really does help me to have a printed plan. When you have a plan like this then if things get hard, you can switch it up. When I felt really stuck, I switched a days reading to the New Testament and checked one of those off. No one says you have to do it in order.

Another way to switch it up is to take a break. I intentionally took a couple of days off so I could just have a little mental freedom. I’m a slow reader and I’d estimate one reading from the plan takes me about an hour.

Sometimes I break the reading up into two or three parts in a day. Other times I’ve read it in one sitting. There’s no right or wrong way and you’ve got to find the groove that works for you.

Don’t Get Discouraged If You Get Behind

At the time of writing this, I’m probably 8-10 days behind. My plan allows for two catch up days so I actually think I’m 8 days behind. I’ve thought about and strategized ways to catch up and finish this thing in the 90 days, but what I’ve realized is that this is just adding stress instead of allowing me to enjoy reading Scripture.

If you get behind and finish the plan in 100 days or 120 then that’s incredible. You’ve still read the Bible in a very short amount of time. There’s nothing to be ashamed of there. The timeline and plan are just a tool to help you keep going.

Final Thoughts

For me, I think a six month plan is probably the sweet spot. Ninety days is fast and feels difficult at times. With 90 days, you can’t really slow down and meditate because you’re taking in such large chunks of Scripture each day. I think the real benefit of a 90 day plan is to help you see the big picture in the Scriptures. You get a real overhead view and you connect some dots of the big picture by taking in such large chunks each day.

I also believe one of my struggles comes from trying to do too much. I’m also doing a year long plan at the same time that I use in my devotional time each morning. At the same time, I’m also trying to read some books as well. This can all feel a bit overwhelming when added to the other regular rhythms and demands of life.

In conclusion, I do think it’s beneficial to try something like this. It involves discipline and sacrifice of other things you might spend that time doing. For me, it means less scrolling online and more reading the Bible. I’m sure we could all agree that I’m making a good trade there.

I think trying to tackle something like this can aid us in following Paul’s admonition in Philippians 4:8,

“8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”