Why I’m Reading the Bible in a Year (Again)

There’s something about the turn of a new year that feels sacred to me. The calendar flips, the pace shifts just enough to take a deep breath, and I find myself asking the same quiet question every January: What do I want to shape my heart and mind this year?

For me, the answer keeps coming back to the same place—God’s Word.

Reading the Bible in a year isn’t about checking a box or keeping up with a plan for the sake of discipline alone. It’s about setting the tone for my days and my decisions. Before the noise creeps in, before the responsibilities pile up, I want my heart anchored in truth. Starting the year rooted in Scripture helps me realign what matters most and reminds me who I’m ultimately walking with.

Last year, that grounding wasn’t just helpful—it was essential.

I walked through a season that felt heavy and foggy, one where I was painfully aware of how dependent I am on Jesus. I didn’t have the strength or clarity on my own, and being consistently in the Word became a lifeline. Scripture didn’t magically erase the hard things, but it steadied me. It reminded me of God’s nearness when I felt disoriented and gave language to prayers I didn’t always know how to pray.

This year looks different. Lighter. Healthier. More joyful in many ways.

But that’s exactly why I don’t want to forget the hunger I had then.

I don’t want comfort to dull my awareness of how much I need Jesus every single day. I don’t want to drift into self-reliance just because the waters are calmer. Reading the Bible in a year is one way I’m choosing to remember—remember who carried me through, remember where my strength truly comes from, and remember that my dependency on Him isn’t seasonal. It’s constant.

There’s another layer to this decision that feels just as important to me now: my kids.

More than anything I could ever teach them, I want to model devotion and consistency. I want them to grow up seeing that time with God isn’t an occasional add-on, but a priority woven into everyday life. Not perfectly. Not performatively. But faithfully.

Lately, that desire has been met with the sweetest encouragement—Elijah has started asking to read the Bible with me every morning.

That wasn’t always our rhythm. Mornings used to feel rushed, and consistency was something we aimed for but didn’t always land. Now, seeing his curiosity and willingness reminds me that what we practice in front of our kids matters deeply. They notice. They absorb. They follow our lead far more than our words.

Reading the Bible together—even in small, imperfect moments—feels like planting seeds. Seeds of devotion. Seeds of stability. Seeds of knowing where to turn when life gets hard.

So as this new year begins, committing to read the Bible in a year feels less like a resolution and more like a posture. A way of saying, “Lord, I want to start here. I want to stay here.”

For my own heart. For the lessons I don’t want to forget. And for the little eyes watching, learning what it looks like to walk with God day by day.

If you’re starting something similar this year, my hope is that you feel grace—not pressure—and that the Word meets you exactly where you are. That’s what it’s always done for me.