2020
It’s 3:21 a.m. Usually when I wake up around this time, I pray for whoever God places on my heart and read the Bible—if I don’t fall back asleep, because I’d be lying if I said I don't be fighting going back to sleep sometimes lol.
Tonight, I was reading through Hebrews 10, and while I do have some revelation I want to share, I’ll save that for the right time—when the Holy Spirit prompts me.
However, I do feel led to share how I even started reading the Bible in the first place.
Now I don’t know about y’all, but the Bible used to seem very intimidating to me. Every time I’d see one, I’d get overwhelmed. All I ever saw growing up were those thick, leather-bound brown King James Version Bibles—either small pocket ones or huge ones with gold trim. Hold on, let me show y’all a picture...
Preface:
So yeah, it’s March 2020, and I had just turned 22. Keep in mind, I was still very much living by the flesh. It was the middle of COVID lockdown, and out of nowhere, I started having this urge to write.
Y’all don’t laugh at what I’m about to say… just chill. Just chilllllll. Just chill. (Look—I had to say it three times like how they do in the Bible ). Side note: In the Hebrew language, when something is repeated three times, it’s a way of showing extreme emphasis. For example:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
— Isaiah 6:3 (ESV)
That repetition is the Bible’s way of saying God isn’t just holy—He is the holiest of all.
Okay, back to the story.
So in 2020, I was a huge scary movie watcher. My old roommates could vouch for that lol. But praise the Lord—He truly delivered me from that!
Anyway, during that time, I had this random desire to write a book. I think I had just watched a scary movie or show about a woman who was an author writing a book series or something. I remember thinking, “Oh snap, that sounds fun—I should write a book too.”
But the first time I sat down to write, I immediately felt like something wasn’t right. I had this inner conviction like, “How am I going to write a book if I haven’t read the first book ever made?”—referring to the Bible.
Now I know what y’all thinking—“Why are you calling it the first book ever made?” Lol I was dramatic back then, but technically, I wasn’t wrong.
And that’s the crazy part—how the Lord dropped that thought in my spirit right then. Like I always say, God can use anything to get your attention.
Fast forward about a week later: I had just had that thought about reading the Bible, and suddenly my mom ends up gifting me one—a King James Version, of course. I don’t even remember if I told her I wanted one or not, but she just sent it.
So, I made the decision to start reading it every night. Literally. The first night I read Genesis 1:1, the next night Genesis 1:2, and so on. I was reading it super slow, like one verse a night. Sometimes I would fall behind and try to catch up, but honestly… I didn’t understand much of what I was reading.
Reading it before bed, I would always doze off. I just wasn’t interested yet.
Fast forward to 2021, and that’s when I started feeling convicted. Like, “Why am I reading something I don’t understand?” I felt like I was doing it just to say I did it. But God was still working with His Word, even when I didn’t get it.
Keep that in your head: He still works through His Word, even when we don’t fully understand it yet.
So, then I started thinking—“I need to visualize this better.” And that’s when I found The Bible Project on YouTube. Before I would start reading a new book of the Bible, I’d watch their videos for context.
At that point, I was still on my first full read-through of the Bible, and I was still moving super slow. I spent most of 2021 in Psalms—literally reading one Psalm a day. I was trying my best, y’all!
Okay wait, this is getting long so let me speed it up:
In 2022, I switched up my routine and started reading in the mornings instead. And finally, in February 2024, I finished reading the Bible for the first time.
Y’all… it took me FOUR YEARS to finish reading the Bible.
And guess what? After all that, I realized I was reading it from the wrong perspective.
I was reading the Bible looking for myself in it—looking for where I fit in the story. That’s why certain books seemed boring or uninteresting. So, I decided to read it again, this time trying to obtain wisdom from each book.
And wow—that second time was amazing.
But now here’s what’s crazy:
It took me four years to read the Bible the first time,
But only eight months to read it the second time (from February to October 2024).
😂 Life is funny!
In November and December of 2024, I re-read 1st and 2nd Samuel. Then in January 2025, after receiving advice and guidance from wise peers and mentors, I decided to read the Bible a third time—this time with the mindset of truly getting to know God’s character.
And that’s when it finally clicked.
It took me the third read of the Bible to finally get it RIGHT. (Yes, I’m capitalizing that because I’m emphasizing—I’m yelling! lol)
You literally have to read it from the perspective of getting to know WHO GOD IS.
And when I tell y’all—it opened up a whole new world to me. Because once you know God’s character, you start to see everything in your life differently. Every time you read the Word, it's like a unique encounter.
(Side Note: Book translations matter. Read the version that helps you understand. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend starting with the King James Version (KJV). It uses a lot of old-fashioned language we’re not really used to, and unless you're ready to dive into a dictionary alongside it, you might want to start with a more modern translation instead).
And now, here I am 😊
And as I was writing this, I realized… it’s been about five years since I started reading His Word. And from the time I first cracked open that Bible in 2020 to this very day—the inner work He’s done in me has been unimaginable.
Even during the years, I was reading slowly and barely understanding, He was still refining me. He was still working in me. He was prospering me. That year, in 2020, I got a new car, my first real apartment, and a career. I’ve truly been blessed ever since, y’all. And He has kept me ever since.
And that just reminds me of this verse:
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
— Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
So, I say all this to say:
God works in mysterious ways. But we serve a Sovereign God who knows us. He will use anything to reach you. He has plans for us.
Now, I want to give y’all this Bible verse, but I also have to give a little context first:
We all love Jeremiah 29:11, but keep in mind—it was spoken to the Israelites who were in exile, and it was about God’s faithfulness even in their disobedience. So I encourage y’all to read all of Jeremiah to really grasp the weight of the promise.
But still, here it is:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
— Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
And also:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
— Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV)