Sunday Sentiments

 

Sometimes I don't understand what I study...

...and it's okay.

I've been doing this slow crawl through the book of Genesis for several months now. It has been rich and full in so many beautiful ways. Day after day, I uncover insights I don't remember ever noticing before. I've picked up nuggets about Creation, the Fall, the Flood, Noah, Abraham, Lot, and now I'm beginning the life of Isaac. 

But sometimes I run into something that hovers just over my realm of comprehension.

This week has been like that. I'm not sure if it's truly challenging information, or if I've just been distracted by trying to fit in so many things while adding in the extra hours I worked at Ryan's office. Maybe it's a little of both.

Yesterday afternoon I sat on the floor with my Bible, my books, my notes, and more all spread out around me, and I was determined to make sense of the questions. My crawl through the study felt like it had stalled even more, and still, I wasn't fully comprehending what I needed to learn.

I wondered if I should keep coming back to those same questions day after day after day until it made its way into my comprehension.

But this is Bible study. It's not cramming for a college final. I don't have to know it all. I don't have to understand it all. I want to learn everything I can, of course, but if there is something that isn't connecting today, it's okay. It doesn't mean the study is a total loss. It also doesn't mean that I might not eventually comprehend what I'm missing now. After all, I plan to keep studying for the rest of my days.

Why am I telling you all this?

Maybe you struggle with it too, and maybe you didn't even realize it.

If you're studying and struggling to understand, don't give up. Don't stop entirely, thinking you can't learn anything. You have much you can learn, and each piece of knowledge and wisdom is worth it.

But also...don't feel like you have to learn everything there is to learn about every single passage on every single study. Learn what you can and maybe on the next round, you'll be able to absorb what you're missing now!

Keep studying, friends. Keep learning. And if you don't understand, it's okay. Just keep going! God will give you the wisdom you need for this day!