And then.....

Why My Bible Can’t Stay Closed Until Everything Else Is Done

For too many years, my life was one big “and then.”

I was a full-time mom, and then serving in ministry, and then sometimes juggling a part-time job, and then running errands, and then getting dinner on the table, and then helping with homework, and then… You get it. And then. And then. And then.

The problem? My Bible reading always slid to the bottom of that never-ending list. I told myself, “I’ll get to it later.” But later usually meant never.

But Psalm 1 doesn’t say “and then.”

“They delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”

Day and night. Not when it’s convenient. Not once everything else is finished. Day and night.

That truth hit me hard. The Word wasn’t meant to be an afterthought—it was meant to be the lifeline.

Over the years, I’ve learned the discipline of starting my day with Him and ending my day with Him. But the game-changer has been keeping my Bible open in the middle of the day too. Right there in the middle of laundry piles (yes, they still exist in the empty nest years), dishes, phone calls, and full-time work. I’ll pause, read a verse, and suddenly 20–30 minutes have flown by—scripture to scripture, His Word breathing life back into my soul.

And honestly? It’s been life-changing.

Here’s what I’ve discovered: when His Word moves from the bottom of your “and then” list to the very top, everything shifts. Peace shows up in the middle of chaos. Joy sneaks in when you least expect it. Strength rises when you feel like you’ve got nothing left. And even better—you find yourself quoting scripture into the situations you face daily. That’s where faith gets activated.

So if you’re stuck in the “and then” cycle, here’s my challenge: put your Bible where you always are. Keep it open. Glance at it in the middle of the grind. Let God interrupt your “and then” with a holy pause.

Because that’s how we live our life: Him first. And then—everything else falls into place…..”Seek first His kingdom and then….”