One Sunday when my children were very young, our family made it to church with enough time before the service for an elderly saint to ask how things were going at home. I replied that some days we didn’t seem to accomplish a thing.

“Did you read them the Bible?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Then you did accomplish something.”

The truth of her words resonated, only strengthening with time. Recently one of my adult children reminded me of it. Now decades later, we all know that when our day includes the Bible, not only did we accomplish something, but often the most important thing.

Psalm 119:11 says, “Your Word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.” Who doesn’t want to avoid sin, or at least its consequences? And who doesn’t want that for everyone they love?

I like to start my morning by reading a good literal translation like the New American Standard Bible, even before my husband and I pray together after waking. Scripture has a way of purifying our thoughts, realigning our priorities with God’s. I’ve discovered that it also gives me peace. I keep my Bible by my bed with a little light, so that if I awaken too long during the night, I can read a passage or two, which usually relaxes me enough so that I can fall asleep again.

I try to read at least three chapters a day to finish the whole Bible in a year. This helps me grasp and keep in mind God’s big picture. I ask the Holy Spirit to help me understand and apply what I need for the day. If something I’ve read or memorized also seems pertinent for the rest of my family or others I encounter, I may pass it along. If especially rushed or tired, I sometimes split my Bible time, doing it repeatedly during the day as a break or to keep it fresh.

The Bible tames me, saving me from who knows how many missteps or hasty words, particularly if I meditate on what I’ve read throughout the day, savoring it more than my necessary food. No Bible? No breakfast. Or brunch, as the case may be. My children can sometimes even tell when I’ve skimped on my Bible time, and often I can tell when they’ve skimped on theirs. After that encounter with the saint at church when they were little, I set a precedence on reading to them and helping them memorize Scripture every day. Now my husband and I encourage them to read and memorize for themselves, periodically checking in with them to ask how it’s going.

After my husband’s family got saved, his mother would set out the opened Bible for him to read before school every morning when he came in to eat after milking the cows. He credits that teenage foundation with keeping him from a lot of trouble in life. We’re both grateful for the daily dose of Scripture his mom served up for him along with breakfast.

I’m also grateful for the way he’s always fed our children. Ever since they were very young, he’s read a chapter or two to us in the evenings. The Bible speaks to all ages. Even our chatty youngest daughter has finally realized that if she continues to listen, her questions are often answered in the text a little later on, with no need to interrupt her father except on occasion. This isn’t to say that we understand everything in the Bible. Far from it! God’s Word, like His ways and mind, is infinitely higher than ours. Sometimes we stop during or after the reading to take more time to discuss, define and apply Scripture as needed, comparing verse with verse for further comprehension. We’ve done this for so many years that whenever we face something, an appropriate Bible verse or two usually springs to our minds.

Psalm 19:7-8 says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” Our Savior’s perfect word heals and makes us wise. We can count on it. Its truth gives us joy. Its purity helps us perceive better. We’re to obey it, but nothing happens if we don’t spend time with it.

The last year, especially the last six months, have been even busier for our family than usual. Our oldest daughter is doing her residency, separated from us by thousands of miles. She hadn’t been home since summer and didn’t know when she might return, so when it looked like she could spend four days with us over Christmas, we all prepared to make the most of every minute. Still, the day we went to pick her up from the airport, all the cleaning, cooking and decorating weren’t done despite my best efforts over months of time.

Knowing I was worn out, our middle daughter encouraged me to go along with my husband to the airport, hours away, saying that she and her younger sister could handle the rest. Figuring the remaining jobs wouldn’t get finished in one day even if I did stay, especially with the added stress of a looming deadline, I took her advice and opted to avoid the inevitable scrambling and squabbling. Just before my husband and I left, I heard her tell her little sister, “Let’s put on the Bible right away and listen while we work, so we won’t fight.” We’ve all learned that things go better when we put first things first—even if we don’t always do it.

As an early bird, I struggle daily to delay my work until after I do at least some reading and memorizing. I have most of my energy in the mornings, so it makes more sense for me to work first, saving Bible time for evenings, when I can barely move. But when I look back, the most pleasant, productive days are usually those I start with God’s Word. Maybe He multiplies my efforts, like He did with the few loaves and fishes when feeding great multitudes in the days He walked this earth. Maybe I’m less distracted after a Bible infusion. For whatever reason, the results are more desirable and sometimes even miraculous.

It’s such a blessing to have God’s Word available every day. Sometimes I wonder, though: If the Bible were suddenly taken from our hands, how much would we still find in our hearts?

Dear Father, please give us and our families a love for You, your Word and each other. Thank You for taking us through the past year and bringing us to the start of another. In this new year, please help us put first things first. And let us not be mere hearers of Your Word, but doers.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org