and why I read the Bible every year

Every January 1st, I open my Bible and begin again. From Genesis 1 to Revelations 22, “In the beginning,” to “Surely, I come quickly.” It’s a tradition that has begun to shape my life. When I open the Bible, I find stories about people who are searching for meaning and purpose. And people are messy. I know it’s been called The Word of God, but the books of the Bible were written by people trying to make sense of life, themselves, and where God fits into it all. The Good Book can be hard to relate to, but it’s chapter 4 of the 929 chapters in the Old Testament when you get two brothers fighting and one kills the other out of jealousy. Dysfunctional family? That I think we can all understand completely.

Read The Living Word (the Bible is known by over 20 names) and you will find contradictions, confusion, beauty, and heartbreak. It’s not neatly packaged or easy to read. I wouldn’t call it a page turner. It’s not always comfortable. People make terrible choices, look up to heaven and ask hard questions, then struggle to find the answer. And that’s what I love about it. The messiness, beauty, and humanity in the bible gets me every time. The search for God is a search I deeply relate to.

I also love that I have to think about what I’m reading and put in some effort. I find myself looking up words and meanings and historical context. I watch bible project videos two or three times. A reading of the bible is a journey of seeking.

I think the stories in the bible are fascinating and the search for God is in every chapter. In Genesis you start with the creation, move to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s covenant and redemption for His people are outlined. Then you move to Moses, the Israelites, the 10 commandments, and lots of wandering. The next part is a little hard to wrap your brain around. There are a lot of laws about purity for the Israelites and then those same people go to war with thousands upon thousands of others to enter the Canaanite valley and overtake the land with Joshua, their warrior prophet, at their head. Next you move into the story of Ruth and finally arrive at Samuel the prophet. You’ve got the complexity of King Saul who is desperately trying to murder David, who killed Goliath, before he can take his throne. Then King David. He starts out SO GOOD and then lust and power get the better of him. The prophet confronts him, and the King starts repenting. He spends the rest of his life repenting. His sins were horrendous, but he never stops trying to find God. Some of the most beautiful verses on repentance come from King David. Then the kingdom is passed to Solomon, the wise leader with over 700 wives and 300 concubines. Such an interesting story. Then the stories are repeated by a different writer, and you move to Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, Queen of Persia who saves the Jews. Next is the story of Job and a beautiful collection of poetry and songs followed by practical wisdom for everyday life found in Psalms and Proverbs. Then the books pivot and you have an entire book about intimacy and love written by King Solomon who clearly loved his time with women (1000 lovers??? Crazy). Then the book pivots again into the beautiful verses of Isaiah with promises about the future Messiah and his work in us. The last 16 books are mostly books written by prophets (called the minor prophets) including Jonah who was swallowed by the whale. When you do read to the end of the Old Testament with all its wandering, stumbling, and searching, you find hope in a future Messiah who will deliver, which is where the New Testament picks up, with the birth of Jesus.

No, the Bible is not a polished tale of perfect people—it’s a story about sacrifice and search for meaning mixed with beautiful moments of grace. The Bible gives us permission to wrestle with doubt, failure, and imperfection—and to look at these things honestly through the eyes of someone else. I’ve had plenty of messy moments in my life and times when I’ve felt lost. The Bible doesn’t offer easy solutions, but it does remind me that I’m not the first person to feel this way. It reminds me to keep turning to God and remember the covenant he’s made to love me fully. It reminds me that I have a Savior I can rely on. That’s why I keep coming back to it.

Every year as I read, I find something new. A phrase I missed. A story that reads differently because I’ve changed. A new favorite verse. I start reading each year with both a beginner’s mindset and a focus. What can I learn this year? One year I highlighted every promise Jesus makes in the Bible. The next, I underlined every word he says. This year, I am paying attention to covenants as I read. I don’t expect to understand everything or agree with everything, but I really like stepping into the stories of people who are trying, failing, and trying again. I see it as much more than a religious text, for me it’s a human one. The Bible is known by many names, but my new favorite is The Book of Life because in its pages I find life with all of its crazy messiness. And maybe, that’s the point.

Some of my favorite scripture verses from last year in the Bible:

Amos 5:8 “Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name.” – The prophet Amos

Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah quoting the Lord in a letter to the Israelites in Babylon

Psalm 43:3 “O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill.” – King David

1 Samuel 16:7 “For the Lord seeth not as a man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” – the Lord speaking to the prophet Samuel.

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” -Jesus

Scripture Study Programs:

If you want to read the Bible (Old Testament and New Testament) in one year, you could take 1 day at the beginning of each book (there are 66) to watch bible project videos or research who wrote the book and then read 4 chapters each day after that. That’s 363 days total.

OR if you want to read all of the scriptures (Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price) each year, you read your come follow me as usual (LDS study program) then read 4 chapters of any other book each day and you will read all of them by the end of the year.