"That's great," said Dad. "You're plenty capable of having your own personal daily devotions."
That afternoon Felicity read two chapters. For a couple of days after that, she managed to find time to read a few verses before going to school. But as time went by, she read less and less.
As Felicity and her mother sat on the front porch one evening a few weeks later, Felicity gave a little sigh. "Mom," she said, "I'm so mad at myself. When I signed the card to say I'd read the Bible every day, I really meant it. But I forget to do it half the time. How can I remember to do better?"
"I used to forget to read my Bible, too," Mom told her, "but then I made it a habit to read at a certain time every day. For me, mornings are best. I try not to let anything interfere with my Bible-reading time. By doing this, I've developed a habit, and I usually don't forget now."
Suddenly Felicity pointed upward. "Oh, look!" she exclaimed. "There's a huge spider web between the post and telephone cable."
Mom laughed. "Why, that's odd!" she said. "I was just thinking of an old Spanish proverb: 'Habits are first like cobwebs-then like cables.' What do you think that means?"
Felicity was quiet for a minute. "I think I know," she said. At first habits are easy to break-like cobwebs. But if you keep on doing something, your habit will become strong and hard to break-like a cable."
Mom nodded and smiled. "Make Bible reading a really strong habit," she encouraged. "Shall I wake you up fifteen minutes earlier every morning so you can read the Bible first thing each day?"
Felicity nodded. "Let's try that," she agreed.
How about you?
Do you take time to read the Bible alone each day? If not, why not? Do you forget? Or do you think it's not important? Making time now for daily Bible reading will create a "cable" in your life that will be a lifetime habit if you stick to it.
Memorize:
"I will delight in your principles and not forget your word." Psalm 119:16