A Great Help for Widows--Bible Reading Plans for the New Year

The very best thing a widow can do to help herself is to read and meditate on God's Word every day.
Why? Because it is food for your soul and just like good nutrition it will help you heal and be restored.

Daily devotionals based on Scripture are a good place to start. Visit a nearby Christian bookstore to look at all the selections. Your church might have free booklets with devotions for each day of the month. An excellent resource for devotionals for grieving people is to sign up at GriefShare.org --they're delivered to your email every day and they are free. Specifically for widows, please visit my friends at A Widows Might.org for their beautiful and heart touching ministry.

If you want a deeper look into God's Word as a whole, though, consider a Bible reading plan. You'll get a grasp of the whole world of the Bible plus the sense of accomplishment as you check off the chapters and books you've read.

In addition to the reading, I like to keep a small notebook. Every day I jot down my "ABC's" --

• A is a title of what I just read. I make one up and you can too, no expertise is necessary :)
• B is the best verse that stands out to me personally that day. 
• C is a command to follow or a comfort to claim. 

I love this simple but profound little outline and one of the best blessings of it is to look back and notice the many ways God actually guides and directs me when I apply what I've read!

There are many yearly Bible reading plans to choose from--just Google your favorite ministry site and they will probably have some.

The selection might be too overwhelming if you're dealing with widow fog though so I've created my own Bible reading plan just for widows.

Here's the beauty of my Bible reading plan:

• You can start it at any point during the year. 
• You'll read the entire New Testament and corresponding Psalms, plus Proverbs and Ruth. 
• Each season you'll read a gospel: winter--Matthew, spring--John, summer--Mark, Christmas--Luke.
• The first day of every month (except February)a section of the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119 will encourage and remind you of how great and effective God's Word is for daily life.
• And last but not least, an * marks chapters that contain the word "widow."

It took me a couple years to do this and test it out on myself! And then a friend who's a graphic designer helped me format it and set it up here so all you have to do is click on the pages in the sidebar ---> and print them off. (If you don't have a printer send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope and I'll mail you one: Ferree Hardy, PO Box 5024, Florence, SC 29502).
No matter whether you choose to go with a devotional or try a Bible reading plan, the important thing is to start today. Do it in the morning, before bedtime, after a meal or as many times a day or week as you want! Just Do It! You'll be so glad you did! And if you miss a day? Just pick it back up, don't try to catch up. God will meet you where you are.