Blog Layout

Time Spent in Scripture

Rebecca Jackson • January 4, 2025

Scripture

Simply put, scripture does not mean the Holy Bible,

it means revered texts of the world's religions.

       

       Can that be scripture from the bible? Yes. But if the bible isn't your religious text of choice, then substitute the revered texts of your religion. For me, it's the bible. I was saved at a youth retreat when I was 13, and by saved, I mean that I came to know Jesus Christ and learned of his sacrifice to save humanity from its sin, and I asked Him into my heart. I was later baptized in the very same sanctuary that I was saved in, recommitting my faith twenty years later, as a wife and mother of three. For me, it's always been Jesus. I used to struggle with religion, and the hypocrisy that I once believed religion to be hand-cuffed to. Until I was saved. It was then that I began to slowly come to understand the grace of God, and the man named Jesus, who hung on a cross for the sins I would inevitably commit.


       I've been in a relationship with Jesus since that November evening in the mid-nineties. I have not however, always had a relationship with scripture. I received my first bible for Easter from my parents around the second grade, and when I read the scriptures in it, I fell asleep. It was a "Precious Moments" bible though, so occasionally I would be successful paging through it and looking at the pictures. I remember going to Awana on Wednesday nights occasionally when I was in grade-school with a friend and her family. We used to get "Bible Bucks" to use for treats if we memorized bible verses. I remember earning a few "Bible Bucks", but not enough to ever redeem them for a treat. I also, don't remember a single verse I "successfully memorized", so there's that. When I became a mom I intuitively knew, I would need to grow my faith to get through it. So I started trying to do better with scripture.


       I am not a whiz am memorizing scripture, still to this day I only have a handful of mostly memorized bible verses. I did however, learn alternative ways to incorporate scripture into my life in the seasons where I was in the thick of it with littles and couldn't even prop my eyelids open for time in scripture. Eventually life slowed down, a little, my girls got older, and I began having a little more success at a table with my bible and a journal, but those scripture sessions are still mostly few and far between. The following ways are my go-to solutions for sneaking scripture into my life.


Some alternative solutions for scripture:

  • Listening to faith-based music
  • Talk radio/podcasts aligned with your faith
  • A weekly church sermon, virtual or in person
  • Books, fiction or non-fiction by authors of your faith.


Now, ideally you do find time for actual scripture reading from your bible, on hand or in your phone.


       I use a bible app to help me increase my time spent in scripture. I find more success with the bible on my phone screen than I do with a bound copy of the bible, and I've come to a point in my life where I can give myself grace for that choice. Truly, God doesn't care how I connect with His word, just so long as I do connect with it. Plus, my Bible app has some very cool features so I can grow my scripture time, track my progress, bookmark and note thoughts I have while reading, and come back to those notes and bookmarks at a later time with ease and no clutter in my bible pages. It even rewards me for reaching milestones using the various features, and it awards me with digital ribbons! Who doesn't want to earn digital awards?!? Seriously though, it has really changed and improved my scripture practices, and my faith is benefitting from that, in turn benefitting my spirit and my life. I hope I've encouraged you to consider time in scripture and where it fits into your self-care practices. If you are inspired, fill me in on your journey! I'd love to celebrate your faith progress with you!


~ Live Dazzling

Rebecca Jackson


By Rebecca Jackson January 5, 2025
I want to give you some easy ideas to
By Rebecca Jackson December 12, 2024
To Pray or Not to Pray
By Rebecca Jackson October 11, 2024
I want to give you some easy ideas to
By Rebecca Jackson October 9, 2024
Chakras
By Rebecca Jackson September 6, 2024
Crystals & Energy
By Rebecca Jackson July 11, 2024
I want to give you some easy ideas to
By Rebecca Jackson June 27, 2024
Sage
By Rebecca Jackson May 16, 2024
I was in my 30's before I learned how to truly breathe...
By Rebecca Jackson May 2, 2024
I want to give you some easy ideas to
By Rebecca Jackson April 18, 2024
The entire foundation of the Dazzling District brand & company mission is built on the need for solid and personalized self-care, designed to care for your mind, body, and spirit uniquely. For you and created by you, with the help of some tips, methods & best practices. Shortly after I launched the website and blog, I wrote a 2-part Spring Cleaning Blog Series focused on detoxing your Mind and Body (if you haven't already read them use those links to do so ). D etoxing your Spirit is necessary to personal healing and growth too. It may be the most important of the three to focus on, however it is often the most difficult to do. It requires confronting ourselves with a level of vulnerability that many of us were never taught or demonstrated as children. This makes being capable and comfortable enough to do so, challenging and ultimately a little scary too. But it's necessary to prioritize your soul health, it's just as important as your gut health, your oral health or your heart health. Confronting our own spiritual toxins and roadblocks takes a real warrior soul, one that I know lives inside your heart. If you have already read and begun to implement the other 2 blogs in my Spring-Cleaning Series, then you have already begun to "Detox Your Spirit" (use the links posted above if you haven't yet read them) . By detoxing your mind, you have hopefully begun removing some of the things that negatively impact your spirit. By removing toxins from your mind by way of unhealthy technology patterns, viewing choices, listening choices, and other things you introduce to your mental health that influence your self-talk, you will begin the journey by clearing space for peace and reflection. These two things will begin the snowball effect that is necessary to achieving a true spiritual cleansing. Once you "Clean Your Mind " and move on to "Detox Your Body" then you have already continued your journey to "Detox Your Spirit" by allowing your mental health to continue improving while beginning the balancing of your gut health. By completing these other detoxes ahead of time you set the stage for a truly empowering spiritual cleansing. Which order you choose to attack them in however, is yours to decide. If you feel more limited in your mind as a result of a desperate need for a mental reboot, then begin by cleaning your mind. If you feel that the state of your body and physical endurance is where you are being most limited in personal growth, then begin by detoxing your body. This journey is yours to take, so I strongly encourage you listen to your heart to determine where to begin it and then check out the other blogs on those topics to do so. If starting right here, with your spirit is where you feel most called to begin, then I hope you do so, keeping these things in mind. Where you go to begin to "Detox Your Spirit" once you are ready, is a little harder to break down into an action plan because, it must be the most self-guided and vulnerable part of your Mind-Body-Spirit Spring Cleaning Journey in order to achieve an authentic spiritual cleansing. Below I offer you a few of the means that I personally prefer to practice in obtaining a clean spirit. I am by no means an expert in knowledge of, or devout in practicing many of these methods, as I am still actively working on improving & healing myself, walking in my own spiritual journey. This is the main reason that it's taken me nearly 3 years to get this blog to a place I was ready to share it. I've spent years finding the practices that worked for me and exploring all these different ways for myself. I encourage you to explore these ideas in your own life as you see fitting to an authentic spiritual cleansing for yourself. If other practices feel aligned for you, then those are the practices you should be exploring. The goal is an authentic cleansing for your spirit.
More Posts
Share by: