Last week, I wrote about a goal I met: working out consistently for over a year.
It felt good to reflect on that win…not because of aesthetics or numbers, but because it reminded me how much small habits, repeated over time, really do matter. Motivation came and went, but the habit stayed. The consistency carried me on days when I didn’t feel like showing up.
This week, I want to talk about a different kind of goal.
One I didn’t hit the way I planned.
And yet, I don’t consider it a failure.
The Goal I Didn’t “Finish”
At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to read my Bible daily using The Bible Recap reading plan.
As of today, I’m on day 148.
That number needs some context.
It doesn’t mean I’ve only read 148 days this year. On many days, I simply didn’t have the capacity to complete the full reading. Some days I read one chapter instead of several, which meant a single “day” in the plan stretched across multiple nights. And yes, there were days I didn’t read at all.
Even so, I’ve read 12 full books of the Old Testament this year.
That matters more than I think we often allow it to.
What Wasn’t Working
My plan was to read at bedtime — a quiet, reflective way to end the day. In theory, it sounded great. In reality, many nights I was exhausted and falling asleep mid-reading.
That doesn’t mean I lack discipline.
It means I need a better system.
Just like with physical fitness, when something isn’t working, the answer isn’t shame — it’s adjustment.
Reading at bedtime gave me feedback: this time of day isn’t setting me up for success.
The Old Testament Was Hard — And Holy
I’ll be honest: parts of the Old Testament were difficult to read.
- The sacrifices.
- The battles.
- The violence.
- The endless rules and laws.
- The genealogies.
- The censuses.
There were moments I felt overwhelmed, confused, and even resistant.
Slowly — chapter by chapter — something deeper emerged.
I saw a God who rescued His people out of slavery.
A God who parted the waters of the Red Sea and made a way where there was none. A God who wasn’t being restrictive with rules, but teaching a newly freed people how to live as a civilization after generations of bondage.
These laws weren’t cruelty — they were formation.
And the people? They were far from perfect.
Moses.
Abraham.
Isaac.
Jacob.
David.
They had moments of extraordinary faith — and moments of deep failure. They played small roles in a much bigger story. And somehow, God used them anyway.
I see myself in their stories.
Believing… and struggling.
Trusting… and doubting.
A prayer I often pray: “Lord, I believe and help me in my unbelief.”
Why This Still Counts as a Win
Here’s what I know for sure:
I have read my Bible more consistently this year than I ever have before.
If I hadn’t set this goal, I wouldn’t be on day 148. I wouldn’t have wrestled with Scripture. I wouldn’t have learned what time of day works best for me. I wouldn’t have encountered God in scripture the way I have.
This goal gave me progress.
It gave me insight.
It gave me feedback.
And that is not failure.
The Same Lesson, Two Different Goals
When I look at my workout goal and my Bible-reading goal side by side, I see the same truth:
Success isn’t about perfection.
It’s about continuation.
With fitness, I learned that habits carry me when motivation fades.
With Scripture, I’m learning that adjustment keeps me engaged instead of quitting.
Both are teaching me how to be honest and rooted in grace.
So no, I didn’t read my Bible perfectly this year.
Yet I read it more.
I learned more.
And I’m still going.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what success looks like.