“Read this to me, and I’ll come back to you.” Those words were written by Allison Hamilton Calhoun on the first page of a notebook she had given to her husband Noah, in Nicholas Spark’s 1996 novel, The Notebook. The notebook contained a true story that she had authored and entitled, “The Story of Our Lives”. In her later years, Allie suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and Noah, in a humble effort to bring her memories back, would read to her from the notebook.
Noah read their story with the hope that Allie would recognize him. He read to help her remember. Stories can be powerful in that way. They stir up emotions and feelings. They provide meaning and understanding. They connect. They unify. They can even bring about change. In our own day-to-day lives, the relationships we cultivate are grown and strengthened through the sharing of stories.
God has shared His story with you and me on the pages of the Bible.
He speaks through Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16), and we listen so that we might recognize and remember. Women who walk with God–who choose to live each day in faithful obedience to Him–will immerse themselves in His Word, with the desire to know everything they possibly can about the One in whom they live, move, and have their being (Acts 17:28). Hearing the story of God’s love and redemption of mankind, and then responding to it, will lead us into a closer relationship with the Divine Author.
We should read the Bible for instruction, but we should also read it for connection.
We should read it for knowledge, but we should also read it for understanding.
We should read it so that we know what lies ahead, but we should also read it to be reminded of what has already happened.
Bible reading has to be more than a check-off on a daily To-Do list; we have to view it as a way of drawing us closer to God. We should read the Bible because in it, we discover the heart of God, and through it, we prepare our own hearts to become more like His.
Reading the Bible helps us recognize the truth (John 17:17). It reveals God’s Will to us and allows us to see clearly His eternal purpose accomplished through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:8–13) as the plan of salvation unfolds on its pages. It shows us the character of God as His nature is described, not only in words but also through symbols and images (Exodus 33:6–7; Deuteronomy 32:4; 1 John 4:16; Titus 1:2).
Reading the Bible also helps us remember who we are, where we came from, and where we’re going. We are reminded that we were separated from God because of our sins (Isaiah 59:2), but Jesus offered us a way to come back (2 Corinthians 5:18). Through faith in Jesus and baptism into His body, we are now God’s children—a part of His eternal family—and we are going Home (Galatians 3:26–27).
The Bible illuminates the road that has brought us to this very moment so that we can learn from its bumps and curves, but it also shines on the path ahead so that we know our direction and can see where we should place our steps (Psalm 119:105).
I have always loved to read. Even as a child, I had an insatiable hunger for a good book. Beyond every cover lay a world on the brink of discovery, and I, the explorer, would walk through its unsettled lands and swim in its uncharted seas. For me, each book became a journey—one that took me to faraway places, brought me new friends, and taught me unforgettable lessons. Yet, nothing I’ve ever read compares to The Bible because no other book has ever written me, personally, into the script, and no other author but God would ever allow me to take up a pen and supply my own narrative within the all-encompassing story. (He does the same for you, too).
God’s Book starts with the words “In the beginning…” and ends with the promise that Jesus is coming again. In between, He tells the story of a love so pure and so great that we cannot fully comprehend it (Ephesians 3:18–19). It’s a love characterized by mercy and grace, expressed through the gift of a perfect sacrifice for a people who were lost and without hope (Ephesians 2:8). It’s the story of Jesus, God’s only begotten Son (John 3:16), who left His throne in glory to come to earth in the form of a servant and to die on behalf of mankind for the forgiveness of our sin (Philippians 2:5–8; 1 Corinthians 15:3). (This is the part where you and I come in). What will be our response to that gift? Accept it…or walk away? God has allowed us to choose. What will your chapter tell?
To be women who walk with God, we have to know Him. That means talking to Him, but it also means listening to Him. Nicholas Sparks once said,
“Every great love starts with a great story.”
We can hear words of God ringing out from the pages of the Bible, the book that contains the truest story ever written, a story that has a first and final chapter but is also timeless. It’s a book of love that has been authored by God, but He invites each reader into the storyline and allows them to write their own scenes and supply their own dialogue. In that way, God’s story is also the story of our lives—a story of recognition and remembrance that will bring us back to Him every time we read from the pages of His Word.
Lori Boyd
Lori Boyd is from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and attends the East Main church of Christ. She and her husband, Sam, were married in 1998 and have three children, Evie, Kate, and Briggs. Lori is a Registered Nurse and a high school teacher at Middle Tennessee Christian School, where she teaches Honors Anatomy and Forensics. She is pursuing a Master of Arts in Christian Scripture at Heritage Christian University.
Lori has been a writer for Think, Tennessee Home and Farm, and Christian Woman magazines. She has written four books: Trailblazers, Walking to the Promised Land, Hope Island, and Praying Through It; all made available through Kaio Publications. She is part of the Ministry League team and a World Bible School board member. She loves public speaking and teaching Bible classes and presents regularly at workshops and ladies’ events.
Lori was born in Germany and grew up in the Air Force. She attended Abilene Christian University in Texas and graduated from the Abilene Intercollegiate School of Nursing in 1996. She moved to Nashville in June of 1997 and has called Middle Tennessee “home” ever since.
