Lots of things are habit-forming because of their intrinsic nature. We like them, so we go after them with regularity. I have a habit of eating one digestive biscuit with my morning cup of tea. It didn’t take long for this to become a habit because I love digestive biscuits—and tea! Habits actually take a lot longer than the mythical 21 days to form, but the key is the goal or the reward. A digestive biscuit works for me.
So, the question is, how do we encourage our young people—our children and grandchildren—to make Bible reading and prayer a daily habit, especially if they struggle with reading? What’s the biggest incentive, the best reward, the most desirable goal?
Jesus is the goal, the reward, and the biggest incentive. If we even glimpse the beauty of the One who is beloved of the Father, we will long to gaze at him more and more. The beauty of Jesus is his grace, mercy, kindness, and gentleness. He accepts us as we are, and shows us his extreme, scandalous love—a love demonstrated on the cross as he died for our sins and rose to give us new life.
So as we encourage our reluctant teenagers to read their Bibles, we shine the spotlight on Jesus. As we listen to what Jesus says, we discover that we too are beloved by his Father, and that Father, Son, and Spirit come and make their home in every believer (John 17:20–23).
There are five things to consider that will help any teen, even those who don’t enjoy reading, to form a good habit of reading the Bible daily. First let’s consider habit-formation, and then we’ll look at some simple things that helps us select Bibles for them to read.
Habit Formation
Let’s go on a trip to form a habit.
‘H’ is for HAPPY. Where the Bible uses the word “blessed,” it can also be translated “happy.”
Starting each day by mindfully turning to God through his Word will help guard our well-being (Prov. 4:20–23) and lift our mood as we focus not on the problems of the day, but on the problem-solver. We can demonstrate this to our teens and let them see it’s true by our example of daily time with God. If we value our time with God, and share how it helps us, it will encourage them to try for themselves. Just as tech is hardwired to work in a certain way, we too can become “hardwired” if we program Bible reading and prayer into our lives—hardwired for happiness in the happy God we serve. It’s so good for us.
‘A’ is for AFFIRMING. We ask our young people how they spend their time, who influences them, what their goals are, and what drives them, and we really listen. Sometimes they don’t understand any of these things until they actually speak them aloud. It may please them or shock them to find that we really care about them as individuals and affirm their God-given identity, whatever their gifts and abilities.
I love the passage in Luke 7 where Jesus is anointed by the ‘sinful’ woman (v. 36-50). Jesus asks Simon, the Pharisee who was silently judging her, “Do you see this woman?” Clearly Simon didn’t see the person Jesus saw!! Jesus affirms her wholeheartedly recognizing her thankful heart of love and accepting her outrageous worship. Like Jesus we need to affirm our young people and recognise who they are in God’s economy: dearly loved children of their heavenly Father.
‘B’ is BOLD. Let’s be bold in sharing our life, our failures and temptations and our victories in Christ. Nothing resonates more than authenticity. We need to be real. Yes, we struggle but YES Jesus is sufficient and through him we overcome. Jesus never gives up on us, so we can be bold. God’s grace has got us covered. Jesus has done everything needed for our salvation so we’re free to get it wrong (although we try not to, obviously). It’s all about Jesus, the Beloved, so let’s not be fussy about our ‘image’!
‘I’ is for INSPIRING. I’m a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother with offspring ranging from 2 to 52! They have similarities but also many differences—in temperament and ability. Some are super smart and forthright; others have complex special needs and are more introverted. What works for one in terms of encouragement won’t work for another, so let’s not forget we’re all uniquely made in the image of God and let’s not go for the one-size-fits-all approach.
Find out who your teen’s heroes are and why they admire those people. Then look around for Christian heroes you can point them to who have similar interests and qualities. Maybe you’ll find athletes or adventurers, men and women who care for others or have overcome adversity as they’ve trusted Jesus to help them.
‘T’ is for TRUSTING. Show your teens that you trust them. Don’t place unrealistic expectations on them, but trust them in the little things and daily choices. More than that, trust that the God who is revealed to us in Jesus loves our young people even more than we do, and he will never lose any who come to him. Jesus says he will never turn them away, and he will never fail to save and keep them for all eternity (John 10:27–30).
Tips for Helping the Reluctant Readers
Because I know some of us struggle with reading, concentration, and comprehension, and can’t get to grips with long trains of thought and words that we don’t use every day, there are some plain and simple devotionals which you may find helpful.
There are many translations of the Bible, and the Bible Gateway website is useful for sampling the different options. The New International Reader’s Version [NIRV] is great, using clear and simple language that’s easier to read than most other translations.
Finally, keep praying and always have in mind these words from Hebrews: “Let us hold firmly to the hope we claim to have. The God who promised is faithful.Let us consider how we can stir up one another to love. Let us help one another to do good works” (10:23-24 NIRV).
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