The reason why we talk about reading the Bible and commit to reading the Bible is because we want the Bible to be a helpful tool for our lives. There’s so much we can learn from the Bible. We learn the stories of many biblical characters, we hear the poems and songs of faith from long ago, we hear from God through the words of the prophets, we know about the life and ministry of Jesus, and find out about the early Christian church through the letters of Paul.
Reading the Bible helps us to learn about ourselves and we learn about God. During Confirmation class, we share a few examples or metaphors of what the Bible is like with the students. A few of these relate to this understanding of how we learn more about ourselves and how we learn more about God.
First, the Bible is like a window. A window is something you look through and it allows you to see the world beyond the walls. The Bible is a window to God, and it allows us to see who God is, what God is like, what God has done and is doing, and how we can relate to God.
Next, the Bible is like a mirror. A mirror is something we use to look at ourselves. We may not always like what we see, but it does help us see ourselves. The Bible is a mirror that allows us to see ourselves better. The stories of the Bible reflect human nature, human problems, and human issues.
To understand what you’re reading in the Bible, it’s helpful to reflect and ask a few questions to be able to learn more about God and to learn more about yourself. Here are a couple of questions that you can apply to most scriptures.
What does this scripture teach me about God?
What does this scripture teach me about myself?
What does this scripture teach me about the relationship between God and myself?
So, as you read scripture, dig in with these questions that help us to use the Bible both as a window and as a mirror to learn more about God and to learn more about yourself. It’s through this connection and reflection that our relationship with God can grow deeper and the Bible becomes a tool to help us in our lives every day.
Amy Givens, Director of Youth Ministries and Discipleship
