14. Read all the books of the bible

I've been a Christian since I was a senior in high school. I'm now 33 years old. I'm embarrassed to admit that until now, I had not read all the books of the bible. There were a few books in the Old Testament that although I read parts of them, I've never read them all the way through. I can now say that I have read the entire bible. Understand it? No. Love it? Mostly. I am one of those crazy (insert sarcasm) Christians who really does read and love the Old Testament. So many people today want to separate the "Old Testament God" and the "New Testament God". Yet, God does not change. He is the same in the New Testament as He was in the Old Testament. A Holy, Loving, Compassionate, and Gracious God. It's sometimes harder to see in the Old Testament, between all the sacrificing, fighting, war, and threats of destruction. Which is why I said that I "mostly" love it. It's hard to understand why God did a lot of the things He did in the Old Testament. Then I remember that God's ways and thoughts are higher than mine. I can't possibly understand the why behind it all. So I don't get so frustrated when I don't get it.

I'm glad I put this on my list to do. Historians and sociologists tell you: "To understand the present (and future), you must understand the past." And it's true. Reading the New Testament takes on a deeper meaning when you pair it with the Old Testament. But in order to pair it with the Old Testament, one must read it.